Sentencing continues Wednesday for a man convicted of driving drunk in a 2009 crash that left a young child with severe brain damage.
The child, 8-year-old Abdallah Khader, died from his injuries in January.
On Tuesday, his mother, Loubna Elharazin, came face-to-face with the man who hit their family's car while driving drunk, Stewart Richardson, 50.
"You should have wrote a letter. An empty piece of paper. Just one word. 'I'm sorry.' He never said I'm sorry to me," said Elharazin on the witness stand.
The wreck happened as the family was returning from visiting a loved one in Arlington. Police said Richardson plowed into the rear of their vehicle as they were stopped at an intersection for a red light. The family's car was forced into oncoming traffic, creating a second collision, police said.
Khader was pinned in the wreckage. His body was crushed and his skull was smashed, destroying 80 percent of his brain, doctors said.
His mother described the scene at Tuesday's sentencing.
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"I am looking around in circles just to figure out what happened, and so two girls, one girl told me you were hit by a drunk driver. He tried to run away, and we stopped him, and the minute I heard 'drunk driving' I just kind of, I know the ending of this. I just fall on the floor and I start crying," Elharazin remembered.
In the years after the crash Abdallah could no longer see or walk because of the brain damage.
Richardson had eight previous DWI charges, and Elharazin said appearing in court is now about justice for her son.
"Every day since the past six years the accident replays itself in my head. Every time I go to sleep I felt anger. I felt that I needed to hurt this man because he hurt my son, and then when my son passed away I felt peace. I forgive him and I truly do forgive him. I stand here today for justice. Forgiveness has nothing to do with justice," said Elharazin.
The sentencing phase continues Wednesday when defense can call witnesses.
