12-Year-Old Girl Crashed Car, Stepdad Sentenced In Her Death

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A stepfather has been sentenced to prison in connection to the death of his 12-year-old stepdaughter who was driving their vehicle when it crashed.

On July 24, 2022, around 2:10 a.m., Howard County police officers received a report of a single-vehicle car crash. They discovered that a 2017 Toyota Corolla had been heading southbound on Broken Land Parkway south of Cradlerock Way when it left the road and hit a tree. Josseline Molina-Rivas, 12, was driving the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, according to prosecutors.

Mario Arturo-Artiga, 37, was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma with multiple injuries. Police stated that speed and alcohol contributed to the crash. He has been sentenced to 10 years on a charge of second-degree murder.

Molina-Rivas' mother told FOX45 News after the crash that she had no idea her daughter could drive and she did not know why they were out at 2 a.m. She also said that she usually takes the car keys to bed with her.

According to a GoFundMe page set up for Molina-Rivas, she was in the fifth grade, enjoyed dancing and playing with her cousins.

"Josseline was a wonderful daughter and niece who touched the lives of those around her. She leaves behind her mother and two uncles. Josseline was young and with a full life ahead of her," the GoFundMe page stated.