Obdulia Sanchez, the 18-year-old who was notoriously livestreaming herself at the time her car crashed, killing her 14-year-old sister Jacqueline, has explained why she kept the camera going in the gruesome aftermath of the accident. In a letter to local KGPE, she explained that she hoped that by reaching her thousands of social media followers, she could garner not just sympathy, but money to go towards Jacqueline’s funeral.
“I made that video because I knew I had more than 5,000 followers. It was the only way my sister would get a decent burial,” Sanchez wrote. “I would never expose my sister like that. I anticipated the public donating money because my family isn’t rich.” The family ended up raising more than $12,000.
Police said at the time that Sanchez was going about 120 mph when she drove into the left shoulder, then overcompensated when trying to reposition, cutting across the entire highway, through a fence, and into a field, where the car landed after overturning. She was charged with driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter, and faces up to 13 years in prison.
In a phone conversation with the news outlet, Sanchez said that she had livestreamed herself while driving many times before, without incident. “We do it all the time. All the time,” she said. Twice during the recording, she interrupted the livestream while calling 911, Sanchez said.
“If I would’ve known that was going to happen that day, I would’ve never left the house, ever,” she said.
Sanchez was scheduled to appear in court on Friday. Experts reportedly have been inspecting the car and analyzing what led to the crash.
[Image via screengrab]