A 23-year-old Silver Spring woman has pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter by gross negligence and second-degree assault for a high-speed crash that killed an 85-year-old woman and seriously injured another victim in Silver Spring.
Jesica Argueta entered the guilty plea on July 22, 2026, before Judge Eric Johnson in Montgomery County Circuit Court. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for September 16, 2026.
The charges stem from a crash that occurred at approximately 7:44 a.m. on August 7, 2025, at Randolph Road and Sherwood Forest Drive. Prosecutors said Argueta was driving a 2025 Toyota GR86 at speeds reaching 84.5 mph in a 40 mph zone while weaving through morning rush-hour traffic before crashing into a 2011 Toyota 4Runner.
The 4Runner was traveling east on Randolph Road and attempting to turn left onto Sherwood Forest Drive after the occupants were returning home from church when it was struck. Front-seat passenger Josephine Gieske, 85, and the driver suffered severe injuries and were transported to a hospital. Gieske died from her injuries on August 22, 2025.
