Hearing postponed for DUI suspect in crash that killed 2 teens

The DUI suspect accused of driving her SUV into two teenage girls appeared in Las Vegas Justice Court on Monday for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for her to stand trial.

But the hearing was postponed when Ebone Whitaker’s public defender, Talia Walkenshaw, asked Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum to continue the hearing for 30 days, pending negotiations with the state.

Whitaker, 38, admitted to police that she had taken drugs and alcohol before she lost control of her Mercedes-Benz on Aug. 3, authorities have said.

Citlali Mora and Nelly Amaya-Ramirez, both 16, were struck and killed crossing the street at the intersection of Maryland Parkway and Katie Avenue.

The girls, Del Sol High School students, had been best friends since middle school, according to their friend Leon Amado Pineda.

Whitaker is charged with DUI resulting in death, reckless driving, failure to maintain a lane and failure to decrease speed, court records show.

She told police she is a daily user of heroin and had consumed two beers and smoked marijuana before getting behind the wheel to drive home from a friend’s house, according to an arrest report.

Earlier in the day, she added, she and her friends also had smoked a PCP-covered cigarette, according to the report.

Court records show that Whitaker has faced drug-related charges in Las Vegas dating to 2007 and pleaded guilty to a charge of malicious injury to a vehicle after she admitted to kicking out a police car window in 2004.

Whitaker was denied bail on Aug. 10 and remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.

She is set to appear in court on Sept. 21.

Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.