Sicko drove at DOUBLE speed limit & killed both my kids before dashing from scene – while they were dying he ate KFC

WHEN Angelina Kauffman’s daughter offered to pick up her younger brother the mum could never have imagined the tragedy that lay in wait. But when Alina, 24, and her younger brother Ernesto, 15, weren’t home by 9:30pm she the mum immediately knew something was wrong. Angelina pictured with her daughter Alina, then 24 Credit: Supplied The mum-of-three with her son Ernesto, aged 15 Credit: Supplied Just 50m from her home she discovered the carnage left by driver Johnson Kokozian. Kokozian had driven 100km/h in a 50km zone causing the deadly collision and killing both Alina and Ernesto. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! Sickeningly, after fleeing the scene Kokozian had gone to KFC where he had filmed himself eating on snapchat. In March this year, Johnson Kokozian, then 23, had pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death and two counts of failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death at Campbelltown District Court. He was sentenced to nine years in prison. The family-of-four had moved to Sydney for a fresh start Credit: Supplied Alina aspired to become a vet while Ernesto got a casual job at Kmart Credit: Supplied Angelina, 42, Hinchinbrook, NSW, Australia says: “When I wake up, I forget they’re dead. And then it comes crashing down on me,’’ she said, sobbing. “Without their sweet smiles, our house didn’t feel like home anymore. The laughter was gone. I was tortured by survivor’s guilt.” Angelina loved life as a single mum to Alina, 24, Ayeanna, 17, and Ernesto, 15 – were happily chatting as Angelina, now 42. She had been just 16 when she had Alina and when her siblings Ayeanna was born in December 2005 followed by Ernesto in January the following year, Alina was every bit the doting sibling. Most read in Fabulous By then, the family had moved from San Diego, US, to Sydney, for a fresh start after Angelina had split with their dad when she was five months pregnant with Ernesto. Raised by women, he grew up to be a gentle soul and dreamt of being a social worker while both Alina and her mum focused on studying nursing. “Seeing my bubbly and boisterous girl show her tender side with patients during practice placement made my heart swell with pride,” Angelina says. In August 2023, when Ernesto was 15, he was thrilled when he got a casual job at the supermarket Kmart. While Angelina typically picked Ernesto up in September that year, Alina stopped her as the mum reached for her car keys offering to pick up her little brother. At 9.14pm, Alina called to say she had Ernesto with her in the car before telling her mum she loved her. The drive home from Kmart was usually about seven minutes. So when Alina and Ernesto still hadn’t arrived home at 9.30pm, Angelina called back. But when neither of her children answered she instantly knew something was wrong. “My children always answered their calls – this wasn’t like them,” she says. Their sister Ayeanna was able to pinpoint their location on her phone. She told her mum the siblings were on Sadleir Avenue – just 50 metres away from their home. Angelina rushed out of the house barefoot accompanied by Ayeanna and they turned the corner to see a flood of police lights and tape. The mother-of-three tragically lost her two kids, Alina and Ernesto Credit: Alamy Johnson Kokozian, then 20, was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death Credit: Facebook “I knew in her heart my sweet babies were involved,” Angelina says. But speaking to police, Angelina learned that neither Ernesto not Alina had survived the accident. She says: “As my children’s lifeless bodies were driven to the morgue, I felt numb. “My kids had been taken from me in a car crash. Police suspected there’d been another vehicle involved, with the driver fleeing the scene. “At the morgue, hot tears stained my face as I hugged my babies close for one final time.” On Saturday afternoon – less than 24 hours later – a man named Johnson Kokozian, then 20, was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, and failing to assist, among other charges, though he claimed someone else was behind the wheel. Angelina was horrified to learn that after he and his passengers fled the scene, he’d filmed himself eating KFC, sharing the video on Snapchat. “This is the last KFC I’ll be eating for another 20 years,’’ he said, in the video. “It made me sick to know he was enjoying himself, while my angels would never see another day,” the mum says. In the coming days, four more people were charged after attempting to help Johnson cover his crimes. It was later determined that Alina, who suffered catastrophic injuries, tried to save her brother in her final moments. She tragically died at the scene, while Ernesto suffered for 39 agonising minutes before also slipping away. Angelina’s heart couldn’t bear it. They held their joint funeral the following week. “As their coffins were lowered into the ground, I felt like my soul was ripped from my body,” Angelina says. “ ‘It should’ve been me in that car’, I thought, wishing I could trade places with my kids. Still, I knew I had to stay strong for Ayeanna.” Determined to seek justice for her babies, Angelina started a petition in November 2023 to have the maximum penalties for serious road crimes increased. She surpassed the 20,000 signatures needed, and in April 2024 the petition was tabled. They are yet to learn what changes will be made as a result. In December 2024, Johnson Kokozian’s friend Laila Moukhallaletti was convicted and sentenced to a Community Correction Order for a period of 18 months for concealing information about a serious indictable offence. A year later, in December 2025, one of the passengers, Cruz Pamoana Davis-Tuka, was sentenced to 15 months of intensive correction in the community for concealing a serious indictable offence and hindering the investigation. In March this year, Angelina finally faced the man who killed her babies at Campbelltown District Court. Johnson Kokozian, then 23, had pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death and two counts of failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death. After colliding with Alina’s hatchback, instead of stopping to help, Kokozian and his passengers had flagged down a passing car, who offered to take them to hospital. But the court heard how, on the way, they demanded to be dropped off at the home of Kokozian’s father, Kagadour, instead. Kagadour, who owned the car, reported the Mercedes stolen to police. But eventually, the truth had prevailed. Shockingly, Johnson Kokozian was driving on a suspended licence when he’d killed Angelina’s kids. In a statement she read out in court, Angelina said, “You are one of the most vile and evil people I have ever come across in my life.’’ “You are truly heartless… I hope for the rest of your miserable life you suffer, not only in this life but the next life too.” Judge David Arnott sentenced Johnson Kokozian to nine years in prison. But with time already served, he could be out by March 2029. Police estimated he’d been driving at more than 100km/h in a 50km zone. Angelina was devastated. In May this year, Kagadour Hanna Kokozian, 64, was sentenced to a 15-month jail term to be served in the community for hindering the investigation and concealing the offence. Angelina was there to read a further statement, she read: “I do not believe there is a place in heaven or hell that can hold the weight of your actions.” In June, Johnson Kokozian’s fiancé Tiana Savignano pleaded guilty to hindering the investigation. She’ll be sentenced mid-August. “How many people had lied to protect him? I couldn’t believe the depth of cruelty in his circle,” Angelina says. “Now nearly three years on, I visit Alina and Ernesto’s graves every day, but the pain never gets easier for me or Ayeanna. “I continue advocating for other families going through a nightmare like ours. I vow to fight until my last breath.”