Loved ones of youths killed in Clinton crash rally outside driver’s home

FAIRFIELD — Family and friends of three youths killed in a February car crash braved rainy conditions Saturday morning to peacefully demonstrate outside the teen driver’s home and demand justice.

The event garnered a crowd of around 20 people who brought signs and chanted outside the home of Timothy Silva, 17, in Fairfield. Silva was driving the car in which Tommy Porfirio and two young sisters were killed and another 12-year-old was injured.

The gathering was intended to show solidarity and to push the court to hand down the maximum punishment to Silva for his involvement in the Feb. 9 crash that killed Porfirio, 15, and Emily and Ashlin Baker, 14 and 12, respectively.

“The maximum won’t even be enough. I do pray he gets that maximum, but that’s still not going to bring my son or the Baker girls back …,” said Sheila Porfirio, Tommy’s mother. “This wasn’t just an accident, it was a violent crash. I know the kids got in the car, but I think once they got in there they thought, ‘Oh my, what did I get myself into?’ I’m sure that was going through their heads. So now we have three children dead because of Tim Silva’s criminal acts.”

Samantha Baker, mother of Ashlin and Emily, agreed.

“I want him to get the maximum because look at what he took,” Baker said as she pointed to the photo collages of her daughters that she and her family brought to the demonstration.

In June, Silva was arrested and charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and driving to endanger causing serious bodily injury.

Silva was held at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland until being released June 9 into his mother’s custody.

Tony Porfirio is comforted Saturday during a protest in front of the Fairfield home of Timothy Silva, the teen driver in a fatal car crash that left three dead, including Porfirio’s son, Tommy Porfirio. The gathering was to protest Silva’s “lack of remorse” and to show the judge and district attorney that Silva deserves the maximum punishment for taking three lives during the Feb. 9 crash. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Neither Silva nor his family made an appearance during the gathering.

Tommy’s loved ones remember him as a genuine spirit with a great sense of humor.

“He was the funniest person you would have ever met,” Destyni Chase, Tommy’s girlfriend said.

According to Sheila, Tommy’s classmates at Lawrence High School have expressed to her how much they miss him.

“The kids at school, they say it’s just not the same without him,” Sheila said. “They looked forward to go to school just to see him. I got a note from one of the kids he went to school with, a girl I didn’t even know and she didn’t know him (Tommy), but she said she was walking down the hall and she tripped and all her books fell all over the corridor. No one stopped to help her except Tommy. He stopped and helped her pick up her books; … that’s the type of kid he was. He saw the good in everybody.”

Tommy’s niece, Jocelyn, recalled fond memories she had with her “favorite uncle,” like hanging out in his room and playing Xbox.

“I just really love him,” Jocelyn said. “I feel like he’ll be with me forever.”

The crash occurred during the early morning hours of Feb. 9 in Clinton.

At a hearing on June 9, Clinton police Chief Stanley ‘Rusty’ Bell presented a timeline, that was compiled using firsthand accounts from local residents.

Bell said Silva, who did not have a driver’s license, left with his mother’s 2007 Toyota Corolla around 2:15 a.m.

Silva and four juveniles then drove around in the area, including Waterville, where they stopped at Walmart, drove up Interstate 95 and ended up at the Big Apple in Fairfield.

Friends and family of Emily and Ashlin Baker and Tommy Porfirio, who were all killed in the Feb. 9 crash in Clinton, gather Saturday and march to the Fairfield home of the driver, Timothy Silva. The gathering was to protest Silva’s “lack of remorse” and to show the judge and district attorney that Silva deserves the maximum punishment for taking three lives during the Feb. 9 crash. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

The crash occurred at 7:16 a.m. when the car slammed into a tree on Hinckley Road in Clinton.

The three youths were dead when rescue workers arrived, and Nevaeh Wilson, 12, was trapped inside the car.

Wilson and Silva were treated for injuries at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Silva is expected to plead guilty at his next court appearance, scheduled for Nov. 20, according to Maeghan Maloney, district attorney for Kennebec and Somerset counties.

Loved ones are especially upset with Silva’s apparent attitude following the crash.

“There has been no remorse,” said Stephanie Carver, whose is daughter Destyni Chase. “Joking with his friends about it. He deserves the max, for sure.”

At the June 9 court date, police discussed Silva’s posts on social media from the day of the crash.

“After the crash,” Bell said, “I viewed social media posts saying that he’s got the keys and wants to go for another ride — and promises that he won’t crash this time.”

Bell also said Silva had tried to “get his story straight” with Wilson at the scene of the crash and the hospital.

“(A witness) told me that (Silva) asked her if he could get a ride and if he could use her phone,” Bell said June 9. “She said that (Silva) had gone to the living victim that was trapped inside of the car, and she characterized it as getting their story straight, or that kind of thing.”

Carver said her daughter logged onto Tommy Porfirio’s Snapchat account the night of the crash and viewed similar messages and posts from Silva, which were submitted to police for evidence.

Carver has teamed up with the Porfirio family to create a Facebook page called “Justice For Tommy” that has about 60 followers.

Samantha Baker, right center, is comforted Saturday during a protest in front of the Fairfield home of Timothy Silva, the driver during a fatal February crash that left three students dead, including Baker’s daughters, Emily and Ashlin Baker. The gathering was to protest Silva’s “lack of remorse” and to show the judge and district attorney that Silva deserves the maximum punishment for taking three lives. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

“This really warms my heart to see the people who came out to show support,” Carver said. “Especially with the weather, I’m really happy about this.”

There are currently no plans to have another gathering, but Carver said it’s possible the group might organize another before Silva’s sentencing.