Passenger, Brother Pleads Not Guilty In Fatal Bayshore Accident

TAMPA, FL -- The passenger in a speeding Mustang GT that struck and killed a mother and her toddler daughter on Bayshore Boulevard near Knights Avenue just before noon on May 23 entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of misdemeanor street racing.

Tristan Herrin, 20, waived his appearance in court Wednesday, June 20. His attorney, Brian Gonzalez, entered his not guilty plea.

Tristan Herrin was riding in the car with his 18-year-old brother, Cameron, when the car struck Jessica Raubenolt, 24, and her 21-month-old daughter, Lillia.

Tampa Police say Cameron Herrin was racing a Nissan Altima driven by John Barrineau, 17, when he struck the mother and child, who was in a stroller, as they legally crossed Bayshore Boulevard.

Cameron Herrin and Barrineau, who both live in South Tampa, are charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and street racing. Both are scheduled to appear in court June 25. They, too, have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Gonzalez spoke briefly to the press after Wednesday's arraignment.

"Tristan and his family are heartbroken," he said. "It’s a tragic situation. The entire Herrin family is praying for the Reisinger and Raubenolt family on a daily basis. They are devastated."

All three are free on bail. Herrin and Barrineau must wear ankle monitors are are not allowed to leave Hillsborough or Pinellas counties. A judge has denied his request to travel to college in August.

Herrin was driving a shiny black 2018 eight-cylinder Mustang GT he received as a gift for his graduation from Tampa Catholic High School when the crash occurred. Police estimate he was going 102 mph at the time he hit the mother and child. They say the Jessica Raubenolt was thrown at least 40 feet. Lillia and the stroller landed about 70 feet away from the point of impact. Jessica Raubenolt was pronounced dead shortly after she arrived at Tampa General Hospital. Lillia died the following day.

Herrin was reportedly racing Barrineau, a friend and classmate at Tampa Catholic High School. Barrineau lives with his family in the Bayshore Beautiful neighborhood. The Herrins live in nearby in Ballast Point. Both teens had accepted their high school diplomas two days before the accident.

Instead of celebrating a new chapter in their lives, both teens are facing felony charges punishable by up to 15 years in state prison.

Barrineau was planning to attend Florida Atlantic University next spring to study computer engineering. A judge has denied his request to drive to college in August. Herrin planned to study marketing at Hillsborough Community College.

The accident involving the two 2018 Tampa High School graduates was among several tragic events the parochial school at 4630 N. Rome Ave., Tampa, had to face during the past school year.

In October, the close-knit high school with an enrollment of 780 students was horrified to learn that 24-year-old Tampa resident Howell Donaldson III, who once played basketball for Tampa Catholic, had been arrested and charged with the shooting deaths of four people in Seminole Heights. The serial killings made national news. Donaldson attended Tampa Catholic for two years but transferred to Alonso High School where he graduated.

The school was still reeling from the news of Donaldson's arrest in February when Tampa Catholic graduate Rob Wallace, 65, a Republican who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002 representing Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, jumped to his death from the Dale Mabry Highway overpass onto Gunn Highway.

Then, on June 7, the school suffered another blow with the death of a popular teacher and school dean, Edwin Page, after a short battle with cancer. He worked at Tampa Catholic High School for 17 years, serving as a science teacher, founding director of the award-winning Tampa Catholic High Drum Line and finally as dean of students.

Related stories:

Mother, Toddler Die After Struck By Speeding Car On Bayshore

Police Say Mustang Was Going 102 mph Before Hitting Mother, Child

Residents Call For More Safety Measures Along Bayshore Boulevard

Image via Tampa Police