Antonio Desisto should have turned 18 this week.
Instead, his father has tearfully told a court how he was left lost without his son, who was killed in a high-speed crash southwest of Sydney alongside four other teenagers.
“Singing happy birthday to my boy, who is now in an urn, is absolutely traumatic,” Exaven White said on Tuesday, the day before his son would have become an adult.
Antonio was the eldest of five teenagers killed when a speeding Nissan Navara driven by Tyrell Edwards crashed at Buxton in September 2022.
“They all died at the hands of a reckless driver not caring for the safety of his friends,” Antonio’s grandmother said, supported in the witness box by her son.
The families of 16-year-old Antonio, 15-year-olds Gabby McLennan and Tyrese Bechard, and 14-year-olds Lily Van de Putte and Summer Williams laid bare the devastating impacts of their losses in court as Edwards awaited sentencing.
The 19-year-old, who sustained minor injuries in the crash, pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death in August.
Lily’s mother Melanie Van de Putte described the insurmountable and indescribable pain of losing her only child.
“What one imagines, I tell them to times that feeling by a million and it doesn’t even come close,” she said.
Lily’s sister Britany said Edwards, an adult who sat the same test to get his licence that she did, made “stupid decisions”.
“I just don’t understand why you would do something so dangerous that not only took five innocent kids’ lives but ruined five families,” she said.
Father John Van De Putte said the crash was a horrific incident, not an accident.
“There is no excuse,” he told Edwards.
Antonio and Tyrese were picked up by Edwards from a service station at Bargo shortly before 6pm on September 6, 2022.
The P-plater reached up to 147km/h and filmed himself swerving from side to side while driving the pair, according to court documents.
Read Related Also: Tina Turner died without meeting her grandchildren and great-grandchildren
He then travelled to Tahmoor to collect Gabby and Lily about 7.15pm before picking up Summer and travelling to get more fuel.
Gabby’s mother Samantha Trimarchi said Edwards would never be able to fathom the impact his actions caused, despite family members’ efforts to put their emotions into words.
“I have never had so much anger and hatred for one person,” she said.
“I really hope you listen to these words and realise what you’ve done.”
All five teenagers were students at Picton High School.
Trimarchi said she struggled seeing other teenage girls in their uniforms when she drove past the school, wondering if they were her daughter before she remembered the reality.
“The only time I see my girl … is in my dreams,” she said.
Edwards sped to overtake another vehicle on the wrong side of the road and was travelling at approximately 118km/h – more than double the speed limit – when he crashed on East Parade at Buxton about 7.50pm.
The dual-cab ute slammed into one tree, rebounded, spun backwards and slammed into another.
The second collision tore open the rear cabin, throwing four of the five teenagers out.
Neighbours heard a “massive explosion” and raced to the scene where they saw Edwards climb out of the wreckage.
“I’m gonna go to jail,” he was heard saying.
“I can’t go to jail. I don’t want to go to jail.”
The sentence hearing continues on Tuesday.
