Las Vegas drunken driver who killed Arbor View senior gets 8-20 years

Arbor View High School senior McKenzie Scott was hit and killed by a drunken driver as she crossed the street to get her cap and gown so she could practice her graduation ceremony walk.

The case led Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson to push for harsher DUI penalties in Nevada and drew public attention to the issue of traffic safety near Clark County School District schools.

Keenan Jackson, the driver who struck Scott, will serve an eight- to 20-year prison sentence for the May crash, District Judge Mary Kay Holthus ordered Monday.

Prosecutors argued for the maximum penalty, which is what Jackson received.

“We need to increase the penalties on these DUI cases,” Wolfson told reporters after the sentencing. “What we have on the books right now isn’t enough.”

He hopes stiffening DUI punishments will be part of the agenda for the upcoming special legislative session called by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Jackson, 37, pleaded guilty in October to a count of DUI resulting in death for the collision in a crosswalk near the school’s entrance that killed Scott, who was 18.

Scott’s mother, Tiffany Reynolds, said her daughter earned scholarships so she could study at UNLV. Scott wanted to work as a crime scene investigator, her mother said.

“She was excited, hopeful and living her best life by the end of her senior year,” Reynolds told the judge. “Then along came drunk driver Keenan Jackson. He shattered all her dreams, destroyed her future and cut her life short with his selfish, reckless actions.”

Deputy District Attorney John Taylor said Scott did everything a pedestrian should do: She looked both ways before entering the crosswalk, was not distracted by her phone and paid attention to her surroundings.

Police have said Jackson’s blood alcohol concentration was nearly four times the legal limit.

He “caused McKenzie to fly through the air,” Taylor said. According to Reynolds, the impact of the crash was so intense that it knocked Scott out of her shoes.

“This was a tragedy; this was a devastating collision that killed a teenage girl, but this was not an accident,” Taylor told the judge. “This was a foreseeable consequence of a string of bad decisions that the defendant made that day.”

Defense sought lower sentence

Marsella Saldanha, Jackson’s public defender, said Jackson does not have a criminal history and is deeply remorseful.

“By all accounts, your honor, from his family, friends and neighbors, he’s a kind, hardworking and honest man who made a catastrophic mistake,” she said.

The defense attorney asked for a six- to 15-year prison sentence.

Reynolds said her family previously suffered loss when Scott’s father died of a heart attack, but the pain of his death does not compare to what she is experiencing now.

“I can’t sleep, I can’t work, I can’t think, I can’t function, I can barely leave my house,” she said.

Jackson apologized tearfully in court, saying he understood that his actions had consequences he needed to face.

“I tell McKenzie I’m sorry all the time,” he said.

“I know that he’s sorry, but his apologies will never be enough,” Reynolds said.

She believes DUI penalties under state law are not severe enough and asked for the maximum possible sentence.

But she also said she hopes that Jackson will use his time in prison “to battle his demons, to learn how to fight his addictions and to come out ready to spread good back into the world because McKenzie’s not here to do it.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Jackson and said, “I don’t think you’re a bad person.” She has prayed for him and his family, she told him.

After the hearing, she exchanged hugs with members of Jackson’s family.

Wolfson noted the compassion Scott’s family showed for the defendant.

“The bravery of this family, McKenzie’s family, was remarkable,” he said.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.