Family wants justice in teen racing crash

HOUSTON For the family of the mom and kids who died in the accident, it has been an emotional 36 days -- until Wednesday, when the teenager behind the wheel finally was arrested.

In the five weeks since Christopher Yovino's SUV slammed into a minivan, killing the mom and two kids inside, Felix Nuno says it has never really hit him that his wife and children are gone.

"I'm just like waiting for my wife to be back at home and of course she's dead; she's not going to be back," said Nuno.

A Chevy Tahoe slammed into the Nuno family's minivan on North Gessner. Mayra Torres and her 14-year-old son Christopher Nuno died on impact. Six-year-old Katia Nuno died later at the hospital.

The prosecutor says Yovino was racing his best friend, Brett Taylor, down North Gessner on that afternoon, and now both teens are facing three felony charges each of racing causing death.

"The Tahoe that Christopher Yovino was driving shortly before the crash was going 93 miles an hour," said Catherine Evans with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

On Wednesday, Taylor made an appearance in court on the charges he faces. Yovino was supposed to have turned himself in last night, but didn't.

"I relayed that information to Judge Anderson who was apparently concerned enough to put those particular cases at a no bond status," said Evans.

And that's how authorities caught up with Yovino -- at a bail bondsman, trying to get cash for what was originally a $90,000 bond.

That's good news to the victims' family members, although not enough to heal recent wounds.

"She was a wonderful sister-in-law. I don't have any sisters, so she was like my sister," said Marcella Nuno.

And although a trial won't bring the victims back, the family hopes for one thing.

"They should be punished real, real hard for that and hopefully they will because they killed three victims," said Felix Nuno.

Yovino is scheduled to be in court Thursday. Taylor will appear again in about two weeks.

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