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Nearly four years after a high-speed crash in Redwood City killed a San Carlos couple and left their twin daughters without parents, opening statements began Wednesday in the family’s civil wrongful death case against a then-17-year-old, his parents and the estate of another involved.
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 Cesar Morales, who was 17 years old at the time, 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 adjudicated in juvenile court, where a judge found true two felony vehicular manslaughter allegations and three allegations of engaging in a street race causing great bodily injury. In January 2025, he was ordered to serve 90 days on electronic home monitoring and remain on probation for up to a year. Morales had already spent nearly two years in juvenile detention before his release 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 high school and started dating in college, 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 cGreg and hildren 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.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Cesar Morales as having been convicted in juvenile court and referred to his juvenile proceeding as a criminal case. Under California law, a juvenile adjudication is not a criminal conviction. The story has been revised to accurately describe the juvenile court’s findings and the defendants in the civil wrongful death case. The story has also been corrected to show that Spiridon and Ammen met in high school and began dating in college.
