Ella Vece: Michigan teen charged in death of friend Nevaeh Downs who warned to 'slow down' before crash

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN: According to reports and the authorities, a teenage girl from Michigan told her best friend to slow down before the fatal, high-speed collision that took her life.

Ella Vece, 19, was driving approximately at the speed of 100 miles per hour in 18-year-old Nevaeh Downs’ Volkswagen Jetta on Thanksgiving night when they tried to jump a hill in Kent County, Michigan.

Nevaeh Downs instructed Ella Vece to slow down

According to media reports and the Kent County Sheriff's Office, the car veered off the road and collided with a tree. In the same incident, Vece sustained serious injuries.

Christopher R Becker, the Kent County prosecutor, told the New York Post, "It's kids doing stupid things and it ended in a tragedy."

The prosecutor claimed to have overheard Downs instructing Vece to slow down as a car approached on a recording taken at the scene, “slow down a little bit,” as reported by The Mirror.

“Maybe it distracted her,” Becker remarked.

A GoFundMe page to establish a scholarship fund in Downs' honor at Grand Rapids Community College and an online obituary describe the recently graduated high school student as a "thoughtful, strong, and caring" individual.

The GoFundMe page dubbed Nevaeh as "hardest working."

It read, "Nevaeh was one of the hardest-working women we knew. She was a dedicated swimmer at Northview High School with an unmatched work ethic. She worked 40+ hours a week and often double shifts as a server at Cinco de Mayo, all while going to school."

Elle Vece entered a plea to a misdemeanor causing death

According to Becker, Vece entered a plea to a moving violation causing death, which is a misdemeanor, despite being charged with reckless driving causing death, a felony. She will receive a sentence in June and if found guilty, could spend up to a year behind bars.

According to Becker, the "victim's family didn't want us to proceed." Vece was "like a daughter to them," according to Downs' family, he said. The prosecutor insisted that his team had to “hold her accountable in some way,” despite this.

Vece lost her license for a year as part of her plea agreement. Becker claims that several fatalities have occurred on the hill they were attempting to jump in recent years. Vece's lawyer could not be reached right away.