Timeline: Deadly 2018 Bayshore street-racing crash

TAMPA, Fla. - Cameron Herrin and John Barrineau have both been sentenced to prison for their roles in the street-racing crash that killed a mother and baby along Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard in 2018.

Here’s a timeline of the crash, the investigation, and the trial.

The Bayshore crash: What happened

Bayshore’s wide waterfront sidewalk is a popular pedestrian path through South Tampa, promoted by the city as the longest continuous sidewalk in the world. Jessica Reisinger Raubenolt and her daughter Lillia were trying to cross the street at West Knights Avenue in what police later described as a "lawful crossing."

Before they could make it across, the mom and baby were hit by a 2018 Ford Mustang, driven by Cameron Herrin, who lived just blocks away. Police say Herrin, with Tristan Herrin as his passenger, was racing another northbound vehicle – a gold Nissan driven by John Barrineau.

The data recorder in the Mustang later showed that Herrin was speeding at "102 miles an hour before the driver began a hard braking, right before the crash." The speed limit on the road at that time was 45 mph.

The crash victims

Jessica Raubenolt, a 24-year-old in town from Ohio, was killed in the crash. Her 21-month-old daughter Lillia was badly injured and died at the hospital a day later.

Jessica’s husband and Lillia’s father, John Raubenolt, later attended hearings related to the case.

The case against Cameron Herrin and John Barrineau

In December of 2020, a week before their trial was set to begin, Cameron Herrin and John Barrineau decided to go their separate legal ways.

Barrineau’s attorney negotiated a plea agreement with the state, pleading guilty to two vehicular homicide charges and a misdemeanor racing charge for a sentence of six years in Florida state prison followed by 15 years of probation.

The deal was approved by the victims’ family.

Herrin, meanwhile, also agreed to plead guilty to vehicular homicide charges. As the driver who struck the pedestrians, he faced a more significant sentence – up to 30 years in prison. In April of 2021, Hillsborough Circuit Judge Christopher Nash decided to sentence him to 24 years. The judge said Herrin’s track record of excessive speeding contributed to the decision.

Herrin’s attorney says he plans to appeal.

Timeline and story archive

May 23, 2018: Three arrested in Bayshore accident 
Police say street racing led to the death of a mom pushing her young daughter in a stroller across Bayshore Blvd. Now, three people are under arrest.

May 24, 2018: Toddler hurt in Bayshore Blvd. crash dies from her injuries
The 21-month-old toddler who was injured when she and her mother were hit by a car while walking across Bayshore Boulevard has died from her injuries, according to the Tampa Police Department.

May 25, 2018: Suspect in deadly Bayshore crash arrested on new charge, held without bond 
One of the suspects in a case of alleged street racing on Bayshore Blvd. has been arrested on a second count of vehicular homicide, according to online arrest records from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

May 26, 2018: Alleged driver in deadly Bayshore crash bonds out of jail after second arrest 
The driver of a Ford Mustang accused of hitting and killing a young mother and her toddler on Bayshore Boulevard was released on a $50,000 bond Saturday evening.

May 31, 2018: Documents: Driver in fatal street racing crash was going 102 mph 
Court documents released Thursday show the driver of the Mustang accused of hitting and killing a young woman and toddler was going much faster along Bayshore Blvd. than previously thought.

June 1, 2018: Vehicle's 'black box' reveals car reached 102mph on Bayshore before crash 
According to a newly released report, the 2018 Ford Mustang that police say hit and killed a mother and her young child on Bayshore Boulevard was doing "102 miles an hour before the driver began a hard braking, right before the crash."

June 4, 2018: Residents want to put brakes on street-racing 
A pair of arrests over the weekend put street racing in Tampa back in the spotlight, less than two weeks after a mother and daughter were killed as they crossed Bayshore Boulevard by a teenage driver whom police believe was racing.

June 6, 2018: Teen to be charged as adult in deadly Bayshore crash 
The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office confirmed Wednesday the 17-year-old charged in connection with a street racing crash that killed a mother and her child, is being charged as an adult.

June 9, 2018: Defendant in deadly Bayshore crash released from jail 
A 17-year-old charged in the street-racing crash that killed a mother and daughter faced a judge today before posting bond and walking out of jail.

June 11, 2018: Bayshore accident a lesson to teens at safe driving summit 
FOX 13 was there as 65 teenagers from across Florida came together in St. Pete to try and prevent deadly accidents like what happened in May on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa.

May 23, 2019: South Tampa remembers mother, daughter killed on Bayshore 
The South Tampa community gathered Thursday on the anniversary of a deadly crash that killed a mother and her young daughter as they crossed Bayshore Boulevard.

June 5, 2019: Trial date set for deadly Bayshore racing case 
Nineteen months after a mother and her one-year-old baby girl were struck and killed on Bayshore Boulevard, the two young men accused in the crash have been given a trial date: December 2, 2019.

December 18, 2019: Survivors of mother, baby killed in Bayshore crash ask court to end delays 
Broken from his unbearable anguish, David Raubenolt told a Hillsborough County courtroom he's fed up with delays in the cases of two teens accused in a crash that killed his loved ones.

July 23, 2020: More delays, no trial date for teens 
At a hearing Thursday afternoon, Hillsborough Judge Christopher Nash couldn't say for sure when the case of two teens -- accused of killing a mother and daughter in a fatal crash on Bayshore Boulevard -- would go to trial.

August 10, 2020: Suspected Bayshore street racers get January trial date 
A heartbroken father did not hold back during a Zoom hearing today. He blamed the legal stalling on the defense and suggested they were using the COVID-19 pandemic as a crutch to limp this case along.

November 9, 2020: Defense files motion, putting key evidence in Bayshore crash into question 
With the heaviest heart, David Raubenolt has patiently waited for over two years to see justice for his wife and daughter, who were killed while crossing Bayshore in 2018. But now it appears the state’s case may be in jeopardy. 

November 10, 2020: Accused Bayshore racers await judge's ruling on evidence in vehicular homicide case
Criminal defense attorney John Fitzgibbons had strong words at a virtual hearing while fighting to throw out key evidence he says was unlawfully obtained by Tampa police during their investigation into the Bayshore crash that killed a mother and her baby.

December 3, 2020: Judge will permit evidence showing driver's speed 
Key evidence regarding the computer system in Cameron Herrin’s Mustang has been in limbo for weeks because defense attorneys said it was not obtained properly.

December 28, 2020: One of two drivers takes plea deal 
A week before their trial was set to begin, 21-year-old Cameron Herrin and 20-year-old John Barrineau decided to go their separate legal ways.

December 31, 2020: Teens plead guilty in Bayshore crash that killed mother, baby
Cameron Herrin, 21, and John Barrineau, 20, should be getting ready for college, but they are both headed to prison.   

April 8, 2021: Judge hands down 24-year sentence for driver in Bayshore crash 
The wait for justice for the family and loved ones of Jessica and Lillia Raubenolt has been excruciating. After nearly three years, the man accused of killing the young mother and her toddler on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa has been sentenced to 24 years in prison, 6 years short of the maximum of 30.

April 9, 2021: Bayshore safety remains priority after judge gives 24-year sentence to driver in deadly crash 
Following a judge's decision to give a 24-year prison sentence to the defendant in a 2018 crash that killed a mother and her baby, pressure builds in Tampa to make Bayshore Boulevard safer.

May 31, 2021: Driver in deadly Bayshore crash plans to appeal 24-year prison sentence 
The 24-year prison sentence in the deadly Bayshore street-racing crash came as a shock to many in the legal community, but it might not end there. The stiff sentence is now being appealed by the young driver's attorney.