Were Drag Race Deaths a Mishap or a Crime?

Sept. 23, 2004 -- More than a year after tragedy struck on a road outside Bend, Ore., the small town is still torn over what happened — whether it was an accident or a crime.

On the night of Aug. 8, 2003, a group of kids gathered on the edge of town for a night of drag racing. Among them were Stephanie Beeksma, 15, and her best friend, Danielle O'Neil, 16 — who had just gotten her driver's license a month before.

David Black, now 20, was there too, drawn by the competition. "You go out there and prove yourself to somebody else," he told ABC News' John Quinones.

Women competitors raised the bar even higher, he said. "It's even a little bit more kick to you right there, because a girl just beat you, you're like 'Oh!'"

O'Neil, who was out for a night of thrill-seeking, planned to challenge Randy Clifford, then 20, and a local racing legend. But when the two lined up to compete, the police arrived and broke up their race.

With Beeksma in her passenger seat, O'Neil headed back down the very dark two-lane road back to Bend. So did Clifford in one car, and Black in another — and soon a new, much wilder race began.

A Challenge, and Then Death

On the narrow roadway, the three cars careened along at speeds that sometimes passed 100 mph.

After a few miles, Clifford took the lead and pulled away. Black said the third car then pulled up alongside of him, issuing what he interpreted as a direct challenge.

Black says he could not see who was driving, but when it became clear the other car could not pass him, he says whoever it was fell back. However, the car then annoyed him by tailgating.

Black says he then decided the racing was done. He says he let the other car pass him, then watched as it sped away and headed around a curve. It was going way too fast, he said.

At that moment, a minivan approached from the opposite direction, and collided horribly with the car. Black was on the scene in moments and called 911. The van driver was badly hit, but survived. In the car were Beeksma and O'Neil — both dead.

Parent Against Parent, Friend Versus Friend

For months after, the victims' families concentrated on their grief, not blame. But after a four-month investigation, police arrested Black and Clifford, charging them with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Stephanie Beeksma, the passenger in the wrecked car. The pair faced up to 11 ½ years in prison — even though they were not in either car that crashed.

"Manslaughter is defined as the killing of another person under circumstances that are reckless," Deschutes County Prosecutor Mike Dugan told Primetime Live. "All three of those drivers were involved in reckless behavior. This reckless act ended in the death of Stephanie … and that's manslaughter."

Black's parents were stunned, but Beeksma's say they want justice. The town was divided, parent against parent, even friend against friend.

Willing Participant?

For the prosecution in State of Oregon v. David Black and Randall Clifford, the goal would be simple: Prove the race was still going on at the time of the crash. If it was, all the drivers could be considered responsible.

The defense would have to show the crash was simply a tragic accident, the result only of O'Neil's poor driving skills. They brought out her former boyfriend to try to prove it. He told the court that he had told her "not to speed so much."

Then O'Neil's friend, 19-year-old Caitlin Colton, testified. She is believed to be one of the last people to have heard Beeksma speak. If Beeksma was a willing participant in the race, she would not be a victim of a crime — meaning Black and Clifford could not be guilty of manslaughter.

Colton called O'Neil shortly before the crash. She says she heard another voice in the background — Beeksma. She was terrified, shrieking, and said, "Slow down, I'm scared" twice, Colton testified.

Questions of Responsibility

The defense was thrown off balance. The judge offered them a deal: plead guilty to a charge like criminally negligent homicide, and possibly receive a lenient sentence.

But if they were found guilty of manslaughter, they would unquestionably get 6 ½ years in the state penitentiary.

Clifford took the plea deal one week after it was offered, but Black refused. "I'm not going to lie and say I took these people's lives when I didn't," he said to Primetime. Asked about Clifford's deal, Black said, "he felt more responsible."

By now, chasms of resentment had opened up between the families. Beeksma's mother, Julie Rehanek said of Black, "He's not taking responsibility for his portion in it … I'm not pointing the finger at just him, but he played a big part in it too."

"It ain't justice to all of a sudden make other drivers responsible for the way somebody else drives just because your girl happens to be a passenger in that car," said Bobby Black, David's father.

No Comfort Taken

Black was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to 6 ½ years. "It just shut me down," he said. "I just went blank."

Clifford apologized in open court, and the judge sentenced him to six months in jail and three years probation. The judge made it clear he wasn't pleased by the difference in the sentences, but he had no choice.

Even Beeksma's parents are uneasy. Rehanek said she would have a hard time thinking "justice prevailed." Kevin Beeksma, Stephanie's father, said, "We lost our daughter, and whatever happens to David unfortunately is not going to bring her back."

"There is no measure of comfort by the sentencing," said Debbie O'Neil. "The whole thing just seems wrong."

Bobby Black says before he sends his son to prison, he will "tell him that I love him … and I'm proud of him for not lowering himself to go ahead and saying I'm guilty."

David Black is currently serving his sentence at the Oregon State Penitentiary.