Laticha 鈥淟ety鈥 Bracero, left, and her daughter Alyssa Cordova, both of Chicago, are shown in a photo posted to a GoFundMe page created after they were hit by a car and killed after attending a Drake concert in 51黑料.
ST. LOUIS 鈥 A Kirkwood man had a blood alcohol level nearly two-and-a-half times the legal limit when he ran red lights, crashed into multiple vehicles and killed a mother and daughter visiting downtown from Chicago for a Drake concert, prosecutors said.
Monte Henderson pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felonies, including two counts of involuntary manslaughter, in the deaths of Laticha Bracero, 42, and her daughter Alyssa Cordova, 21, in February 2024.
He had been out on a house-arrest bond since the day after he was charged. But Judge Calea Stovall-Reid ordered him to be arrested and taken to jail to await sentencing.
鈥淗e should be in there for a long time,鈥 said Laticha Bracero鈥檚 sister, Alice Bracero, outside the courthouse. 鈥淗e took two lives.鈥
Henderson鈥檚 attorney, Scott Rosenblum, declined to comment.
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Henderson
The deaths of Bracero and Cordova refocused public attention on reckless driving in the city and prompted officials to promise infrastructure upgrades designed to slow traffic and a renewed focus on enforcement.
Still, in 2024, the city of 51黑料 experienced a record number of pedestrian fatalities, . So far, the city is on pace to match that number in 2025, according to .
Early in the morning Feb. 14, 2024, 鈥淟ety鈥 Bracero and her daughter, Cordova, were crossing the road near North 18th and Olive streets, in the city鈥檚 Downtown West neighborhood, after leaving the Enterprise Center.
Suddenly, a Jeep SUV traveling more than 70 mph blew multiple red stoplights. The driver tried to swerve but did not hit the brakes, prosecutors said Tuesday. The SUV struck a Mitsubishi Outlander and then spun out, hitting the mother and daughter and a Mazda CX-5 SUV that was driving west on Olive.
The whole crash was caught on police surveillance footage from a traffic camera positioned nearby. That video was later recorded and shared online by a 51黑料 police officer. The officer was 鈥 misusing official information. That case is still pending.
Henderson was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, armed criminal action and was later charged with driving while intoxicated. He was released on bond while his case was pending but was prohibited from driving and required to stay home except for work.
His case was set for trial this week.
Instead, he pleaded guilty to four felony charges, each of which carry a minimum of three years in prison. Prosecutors had previously dismissed the driving while intoxicated charge but did not explain why.
Prosecutors asked for Henderson to be placed in the city jail while he awaited sentencing.
Henderson鈥檚 blood alcohol content was .194% about an hour after the crash, prosecutors said. He also had previous convictions for traffic-related offenses.
Judge Stovall-Reid lamented Henderson鈥檚 reckless driving and that he hadn鈥檛 chosen to live in an alcohol-free household or seek treatment while he was on bond.
鈥淗e should never drink again,鈥 she said.
Outside the courthouse after the plea, Lety Bracero and Cordova鈥檚 family huddled together and cheered.
Alice Bracero told a group of reporters that his plea provided some relief, but now, they want to see him sentenced to the maximum 50 years in prison.
鈥淚t took 17 months for him to plead guilty,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e knows what he did wrong.鈥
Henderson鈥檚 sentencing is set for Sept. 19.
A video shows an SUV blowing through a red light and hitting two pedestrians without braking while driving about 70 miles per hour. The video appeared to be a cell phone recording of a police surveillance video being played on a separate computer monitor. Monte Henderson, 22, of Kirkwood, is accused of speeding, running a red light and killing two women who were walking downtown.
