New York Car Crash: Sister of DUI driver who killed toddler in Syracuse ‘unremorseful’ after handing back keys, prosecutors say

The sister of a 25-year-old woman charged with driving under the influence (DUI), which led to the death of a toddler from upstate New York, is now facing legal trouble for allegedly handing her the keys to a car after police took them away from her because she was intoxicated, authorities allege.

During court proceedings on Monday (September 14, 2026), prosecutor Frank Pelosi called Ren-Tasia Broome, the sister of Jazmine Vann, the woman facing DUI charges, “absolutely unremorseful,” according to reports. Jazmine was behind the wheel when she allegedly drunkenly crashed her car into a tree on July 31, 2026.

The toddler, who lost her life in the crash, was identified as Yasmeen Shaaf. Her 7-year-old brother also sustained injuries in the tragic incident, PEOPLE reported, citing court records. The children were sitting in the backseat without car seats or seatbelts, according to authorities. Broome is facing charges linked to second-degree manslaughter in connection to Shaaf’s death.

What are the allegations against Ren-Tasia Broome?

Broome is accused of giving Vann the keys to her 2022 Kia Sorrento after Vann had been drinking at a party, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said in a press conference in August 2026.

In court, the prosecutor told the judge that he has listened to hundreds of Broome’s jail calls, saying, “She’s taken no responsibility. She continues to take no responsibility,” as reported by WSYR-TV. In one of the calls, he alleged, Broome even asked her sister about going to Yasmeen’s funeral and then laughed. Citing online records, PEOPLE also claimed that Vann is charged with second-degree murder—depraved indifference.

Here's what we know about the fatal crash

The fatal incident occurred on the night of July 30, 2026, when officers with the Syracuse Police Department responded to reports pertaining to an argument between Vann and her mother at a party over possession of her car keys, Fitzpatrick said. “Obviously her mother didn’t think she was in a condition to drive,” he said.

After it was determined that Vann was intoxicated, an officer at the scene “admonished” Vann and told her not to drive because of “potentially serious consequences that could occur,” he said. The officer took her car keys and kept them until he received an assurance from Broome that she and not Vann would be driving the vehicle, Fitzpatrick said.

“Almost immediately” after the police left, Vann “retrieved the keys from her sister and made plans to leave by occupying the vehicle in the driver’s seat,” he alleged.

With Alejandro, Vann’s girlfriend, and Alejandro’s children in the car, Vann began to “verbally abuse” them while reaching a speed of over 70 mph in a 30 mph zone, Fitzpatrick said. “She blew through a stop sign and crashed into a tree,” he said. “Little Yasmeen suffered massive trauma to her body and her head, resulting in her death,” he said.

WSYR-TV reported that Broome remains held on $100,000 cash, a $200,000 bond, or a $300,000 partially secured bond. Meanwhile, Vann remains held on a $500,000 bond, PEOPLE reported, citing CNY Central.

Initially, Vann was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. But in the August press conference, Fitzpatrick said that a grand jury upgraded the charge to murder. The grand jury decided that Vann was allegedly “acting recklessly with such depravity and disregard for human life” when she got behind the wheel of the car on July 31, Fitzpatrick said.