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Nearly four years after a street race in Redwood City left two twin girls without parents, the family of the San Carlos couple who died in the crash delivered opening statements Wednesday at a civil wrongful death trial against the two convicted in the criminal case.
Grace Spiridon, 42, and Gregory Ammen, 44, were killed on Nov. 4, 2022, when their vehicle was struck on El Camino Real near Finger Avenue during what authorities said was an illegal street race between then-17-year-old Cesar Morales and Kyle Harrison, the latter of whom died in jail after being sentenced. The couple’s twin daughters, then 7, were in the car and survived the crash after witnessing their parents’ deaths.
The jury trial began on July 22 at the San Mateo County Superior Court in South San Francisco.
Morales was later convicted in juvenile court of two counts of felony vehicular manslaughter and three counts of engaging in a street race causing great bodily injury, and was sentenced in January 2025 to 90 days of electronic home monitoring and up to a year of probation. Morales had already served nearly two years in jail before he was released to home monitoring.
Harrison was convicted of two counts of vehicular manslaughter and felony street racing and was sentenced in February 2025 to eight years in prison. Harrison died in custody in March at the Maple Street Correctional Center; his death was caused by an accidental overdose of methadone, amitriptyline and gabapentin, according to the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office.
Spiridon and Ammen met in middle school and became a couple in high school, according to family members. They later reconnected after college and settled in San Carlos, where they raised their daughters. Ammen worked as an audio engineer at Dolby Laboratories, and Spiridon served as Head of New Service Introduction at Google.
For nearly four years, Spiridon’s sister, Liza Spiridon, and her husband have raised the girls while the family pursued the civil case against Harrison’s estate and Morales and his parents.
“Our focus has always been these two children,” Liza Spiridon said in a press release. “Nothing can replace Grace and Greg, but we continue this journey because accountability matters and because these children deserve every opportunity for a secure future.”
Margaret Petros, executive director of Mothers Against Murder, a nonprofit that advocates for victims’ rights, said the organization is supporting the family through the trial.
The family said it hopes the trial will draw attention to the dangers of illegal street racing and reckless driving.
“Justice does not end with a criminal conviction,” Petros said in a press release. “Families devastated by violent crime deserve compassionate guidance, meaningful participation, and respect throughout every stage of the justice process.”
