DETROIT – The Wayne County Third Circuit Court has handed down a reduced sentence of six to 15 years in prison to a Taylor woman whose reckless driving caused the death of an Arab American physician from Dearborn in a horrific traffic accident last summer.

According to the court documents, the defendant, Felecia Lazo,26, was driving at a reckless speed of 117 mph on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn in a 35 mph zone when she ran a red light at Michigan Avenue and Nowlin Street and struck the victim’s vehicle. The collision caused Lazo’s car to overturn, leaving her with serious injuries, while the violent impact killed Dr. Ghada Mustapha, 33, instantly. Mustapha was the mother of three young children. First responders pronounced her dead at the scene.

The accident occurred at around 8 a.m. on July 19, 2024 while Mustapha was returning home from the hospital where she worked in Taylor.

During Aug. 8 sentencing hearing, Lazo, offered a tearful apology to the victim’s family while addressing the victim’s family members present in court.

“You may not be ready to hear from me or accept my apology,” she said. “Still, I want to say from the deepest place in my heart, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Dr. Ghada Mustapha with her children in this undated picture provided by her family

As part of a plea deal with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Lazo pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, which carries a maximum life sentence, in exchange for dropping the charge of causing death by reckless driving — a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $2,500 to $10,000.

Judge Regina Thomas of the Wayne County Third Circuit Court imposed a reduced sentence that could see Lazo released in as little as five years — a decision that left the victim’s family deeply disappointed, viewing it as far too lenient given the circumstances of the crash.

Moussa Mustapha, Dr. Mustapha’s brother, told WXYZ Channel 7 that it was difficult to accept the verdict because “the crime deserves a bigger sentence”, adding that living with this decision was “unbearable. and for us to deal with it, it’s just, it’s too much.

“Once again, we miss her today because of the defendant’s actions, and so a sentence of just six to 15 years leaves us deeply disappointed.”

He stressed that Lazo’s reckless conduct deserved the maximum penalty “because she ignored those around her while driving recklessly.

“Because of her actions, our beloved Ghada Mustapha is no longer with us,” Hussein Saad a relative of Mustapha, said.

“She has three children under the age of 5 facing the world without their mother, and I don’t think there’s any punishment that can make up for that,” A close friend of  Mustapha told news reporters.

Mustapha’s brother-in-law, Mustafa Haidar, described her as compassionate, intelligent and “always willing to help anyone.”

Although the family felt the sentence was insufficient, they acknowledged they had no choice but to continue moving forward with their lives. Many family members, including Mustapha’s husband, attended every hearing in the case, leading up to the Aug. 8 sentencing.

Dr. Ghada Mustapha was a family physician at Corewell Health in Taylor. She graduated from Fordson High School in Dearborn before attending the University of Michigan, where she studied medicine and graduated as a family physician in 2017.