ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — "They were always together. Words cannot express how I feel. I miss them tremendously," said Malinda Stokes.
Not a day goes by that north St. Louis County mother doesn't think about her 29-year-old daughter, Domanique Hicks and her two-year-old granddaughter, Damonni Hicks.
"Domanique had such a loving smile. She'd give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. Damonni was a shy, cheerful baby. I spoiled her a lot," said Stokes during an exclusive interview with 5 On Your Side's Robert Townsend on Thursday.
According to court documents on the night of March 6, 2021, Hicks and her daughter rode in the mom's Chrysler PT Cruiser in north St. Louis with Hick's ex-boyfriend, Carlas Closson.
Police say they reviewed surveillance video that showed Closson drove 61 miles an hour, failed to obey a stop sign near Halls Ferry Circle Boulevard, hit a curb, went airborne and then plowed into two trees..
Domonique Hicks was killed.
Days later, Hicks and Closson's critically injured child was taken off life support and died.
Prior to her tragic death, Hicks was studying business administration at St. Louis Community College and marking a new beginning for her and her daughter.
"Three months before he killed my daughter and my granddaughter he told me he was going to kill them. Why? He was jealous of Domanique," said the woman's mother.
More than three years after the crash, on Tuesday a judge convicted Closson of two counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter.
Two counts of armed criminal action were dropped.
"I'm disappointed in the system. I'm disappointed in the judge. Closson gets to live his life, but my daughter and my granddaughter didn't get a second chance. I think he should have been charged with two counts of murder," added Malinda Stokes.
In a statement, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said in part, "We will continue to prosecute reckless drivers who choose to wreak havoc in our city to the fullest extent of the law."
Closson will be sentenced next month.
Malinda Stokes will be in the courtroom to speak on behalf of her loved ones.
"I promised my daughter and granddaughter when they were lying on that cold ground that night that I will be their voice. I am going to that sentencing and I will get a chance to say a lot of things that didn't come out during the bench trial. I hope the judge will finally take into consideration that my daughter and granddaughter are no longer here and give them the justice that they deserve," added Stokes.
In January, Closson was released from jail on his own recognizance.
The public defender who represented him did not respond to a Thursday afternoon request for comment.