Tessa Tranchant's mother and Allison Kunhardt's father stand under a full moon in a circle of hundreds of young people. Colette Tranchant tells the crowd, "Tessa and Allie died together. They went to heaven together." The two girls were best friends, like sisters.

At Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach, tears create streams on teenagers faces. Every few feet across the grass dotted by candlelight, you can see people trembling. Occasionally, you can hear through the quiet of the night, boys and girls weeping. They grieve the loss of two young women, killed Friday in a suspected "driving under the influence" crash. Tessa's Kellam High School classmates and friends wrote in a large memory book.

Amy May reads her inscription, "Tessa baby, you mean the world to me."

"I don't know how to say goodbye. You're an angel now," writes Hillary Batten, another friend.

David Kunhardt, Allison's father, declares the families will fight for changes to DUI laws. He wants to prevent those convicted of DUI - like Alfredo Ramos, the man driving the car that slammed into the girls - from having the opportunity to commit the same crime again.

"Think of how many lives would be saved, not just in Virginia Beach, but across the country," Kunhardt says.

Tessa Tranchant's older brother Dylan adds, "It takes a loss to learn this kind of lesson." He and his mother urge the teens not to drink and drive. They tell them to look out for one another. Colette suggests looking out for other drivers, "checking every mirror." And Dylan reminds them, "Tessa and Allie did nothing wrong."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Suspect in accident that killed two teens convicted of DUI two months ago

An illegal alien charged in connection with an acdcident that claimed the lives of two teenage girls was convicted of DUI two months ago in Chesapeake.

The accident occurred late Friday night when Alfredo Ramos crashed into the back of a vehicle at a red light. The rear-ending killed teenagers Allison Kuhnhardt and Tessa Tranchant.

10 On Your Side has learned that 22-year-old Alfredo Ramos was convicted in February on DUI charges from November 13, 2006.

The arresting officer commented in his report that Ramos "almost ran him down".

He was given a 90 day suspended sentence, fined $250, had his drivers' license suspended, and he ordered to participate in ASAP, an alcohol awareness program.

Court documents also revealed that Ramos didn' t actually have a valid driver's license (he was caught with a fake one), had paid a Florida company $200 dollars for a "Mexican ID", and he blew a .14 BAC - almost twice the legal limit.

Also, 10 On Your Side has learned that law-enforcement officials in Chesapeake never informed Immigration and Customs Enforcement about Ramos' residence status in the U.S. This contrasts with Virginia Beach, whose authorities notified ICE immediately after Ramos was arrested.

Ramos, who speaks no English, remains in jail with no bond.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


UPDATE: The suspect in a DUI suspect that claimed the lives of two inseperable friends was arraigned Monday morning.

Alfredo Ramos, 22, has been charged with two counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and is being held at the Virginia Beach City Jail with no bond.

In court, Ramos admitted that he is in the country illegally, and was working at a Mexican restaurant in Virginia Beach.

Ramos, who speaks no English, remains in jail with no bond.

The accident happened when Ramos, driving a 1998 Mitsubishi, was traveling west bound at a high speed and slammed into the back of the other vehicle.

Both occupants of the other car, which was at a standstill at a traffic light, were pronounced dead at the hospital. The driver was Allison E. Kuhnhardt, 17, and her passenger was Tessa C. Tranchant, 16.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Father remembers daughter killed in car crash

A father shared his grief on Sunday after losing his daughter in what police are calling a drunk driving accident.

The accident occurred late Friday night when Alfredo Ramos crashed into the back of a vehicle at a red light. The rear-ending killed teenagers Allison Kuhnhardt and Tessa Tranchant.

17-year-old Allison Kuhnhardt's father, David Kuhnhardt said, "Ally was the type of person that, when I had a bad day or a good day, didn't matter, because I knew when I was gonna see her, I would always end up laughing."

David and Allison shared a father-daughter dinner every Wednesday night.

"I never met any two people who were more connected, in terms of friendship," David said of Allison and Tessa.

All weekend, friends of both teens have stopped by the site of the crash to drop off flowers, cards and to lean on each other for support. They said both girls were very well-liked and are going to be missed terribly.

A candlelight vigil is being planned for later this week.

Ramos was previously found guilty of a DUI, in November of 2006 in Chesapeake.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Two teens killed in Virginia Beach crash

Two cars collided late Friday night in Virginia Beach, killing two people and injuring one.

The rear end crash occurred at the intersection of Virginia Beach Boulevard and Kings Grant Road shortly after 11 p.m.

When police and emergency personnel arrived at the scene, two people were pinned in a 1994 Plymouth Duster and had to be extracted.

The accident happened when the driver of a 1998 Mitsubishi was traveling west bound at a high speed and slammed into the back of the other vehicle.

Both occupants of the Duster were pronounced dead at the hospital. The driver was Allison E. Kuhnhardt, 17, and her passenger was Tessa C. Tranchant, 16.

Alfredo Ramos, 22, has been charged with two counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and is being held at the Virginia Beach city jail with no bond.

It has been determined that both speed and alcohol were a factor in the incident.

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=6307948

Those girls were so young and beautiful.