A 78-year-old Chinese woman hit and killed an Apple executive and his family of four. She was only given a suspended sentence and did not go to jail because of her advanced age.

On March 20, local time, the verdict was officially announced in the case of a Chinese woman, Mary Fong Lau, who killed a family of four Apple executives with her car.The court finally sentenced Liu Fang to a two-year suspended sentence and revoked his driver's license for three years without going to jail.As soon as the verdict came out, it aroused strong dissatisfaction from the victim's family and triggered discussions on the rationality of the case verdict.

Back in March 2024, the then 78-year-old Liu Fang accidentally crashed into a bus stop while driving in San Francisco, resulting in the tragic death of a couple and their two babies who were waiting at the stop. A family trip that was originally full of joy turned into an irreparable tragedy.

It is reported that among the four victims, the father, Diego Cardozo de Oliveira, was from Brazil and served as the assistant creative director of Apple during his lifetime; the mother, Matilde Moncada Ramos Pinto, was from Portugal and was an executive producer of a well-known advertising production company.

Their two children were 1-year-old Joaquin and 2-month-old Kauai. Joaquin died on the spot in the accident. Although young Kauai was rushed to the hospital for treatment, he still persisted and died four days later.

According to friends of the deceased, the day of the tragedy happened to be the wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Diego. The couple originally planned to take their two young children to the zoo to celebrate their special day. However, they never imagined that this carefully prepared family gathering would eventually turn into the sad news that they would be separated forever.

Other witnesses said that the driver Liu Fang was suspected of having a sudden illness at the time of the incident. The vehicle he was driving was driving in the opposite direction on the street at a speed of 80 to 110 kilometers per hour. He lost control and eventually led to a tragic accident.

After the accident, Liu Fang was immediately charged with four counts of manslaughter. According to local law, the maximum sentence for each count ranged from 15 years to life imprisonment. It was originally expected that Liu Fang would face severe criminal penalties.

However, during the trial, the judge took into account Liu Fang's advanced age, lack of any criminal record, and expression of regret during the trial, and finally made a sentence of two years' probation, three-year driver's license revocation, and no jail time.

At the court hearing on March 20, Liu Fang repeatedly expressed her apology to the victim’s family: “I want to say to all the family members, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”