Brendan Khuri | Teenager Kills Woman with Lamborghini from Multimillionaire Father

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[00:00:46] Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash income, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash income now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. This is True Crime Psychology and Personality, where we discuss the pathology behind some

[00:01:18] of the most horrific crimes and those who committed them from a scientifically informed perspective. I'm Dr. Todd Grande. I have a PhD in counselor education and supervision, and I'm a licensed professional counselor of mental health. Dr. Todd Grande, that's my YouTube channel.

[00:01:37] Today's question is, can I analyze the case of Brendan Curry? First I'll look at the background of this case, move to the timeline of the crime, then offer my analysis. Brendan Curry was born in 2003 in Los Angeles, California.

[00:01:51] His father, James Curry, was a multimillionaire businessman who is important to this story. James was born in 1975 and grew up in Rochester, New York. He earned a master's degree in business administration and moved to California where he launched a business specializing in multifamily and commercial real estate.

[00:02:12] James had several holdings in New York and California. Later he started another company that was involved in product distribution. Among other items, the company distributes trading cards. James Curry achieved phenomenal financial success. Reportedly, his net worth was over $400 million in 2022.

[00:02:34] Brendan lived with his father, James, in a mansion in Beverly Hills. Based on images posted to the Instagram account for James, Brendan and his father appeared to live a life of luxury. When Brendan turned 17, James gave him a Lamborghini Urus, which is a high-performance all-wheel drive SUV.

[00:02:54] It's not clear how much James paid for it, but the base price for this Lamborghini in 2020 was $211,000. The vehicle is powered by a 641 horsepower twin turbocharged 4 liter V8, which is a modified version of an Audi V8.

[00:03:12] This SUV can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 190 mph. This makes it one of the fastest production SUVs in the world. The vehicle is definitely not well suited for younger drivers.

[00:03:29] It appeared as though James owned other high-performance vehicles and was no stranger to operating them at high speed. For example, one Instagram post featured James and Brendan next to their Lamborghinis. The caption read, quote, my son and I hanging out cruising in the hills.

[00:03:46] Everyone knows whose car is faster, unquote. Instead of using the word whose like W-H-O-S-E, the caption read W-H-O apostrophe S. It appears as though Brendan wasn't going to learn safe driving or grammar from his father. In another post, James wrote, quote, fun Friday afternoon racing another Lamborghini SVJ

[00:04:12] on sunset. Of course going speed limit, unquote. It appears as though Brendan learned his attitude toward driving from his father. For example, Brendan made social media posts about racing and drifting his Lamborghini. In October of 2020, Brendan was pulled over by the police for driving 72 mph in a 35 mph

[00:04:35] zone. He only had a learner's permit, not a full driver's license, which meant he had to be accompanied by a passenger who was at least 25 years old. The police noted that Brendan was not following this rule.

[00:04:49] In November 2020, Brendan was pulled over by the police again, this time because he made an unsafe start by accelerating very fast. The police once again noted that Brendan was driving unsupervised. The Beverly Hills police impounded the Lamborghini and Brendan's learner's permit was suspended.

[00:05:09] This kept the residents of the area safe from Brendan, but that safety would be short-lived. Within two days, James had regained possession of the Lamborghini Urus and returned it to Brendan. Brendan continued to terrorize innocent motorists by driving in the area.

[00:05:27] Now moving to the timeline of the crime. On February 17, 2021, not long after 5 p.m., Brendan Currie was driving his Lamborghini Urus on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles. The speed limit there was 35 mph, but Brendan was driving at 106 mph.

[00:05:48] The state would later say that he was racing another vehicle operated by a female friend and swerving in and out of traffic. At about 5.14 p.m., Brendan drove through the intersection with Overland Avenue, which is controlled by a traffic light.

[00:06:03] Media sources stated that Brendan ran a red light, but it's not clear if he actually did. Either way, Brendan entered the intersection driving at about 106 mph and slammed into a silver Lexus sedan that was making a left turn in front of him.

[00:06:19] The driver of that vehicle, a 32-year-old woman named Monique Munoz, was killed in the collision. She had been driving home from the hospital where she worked as a receptionist. Brendan sustained moderate injuries in the collision and was treated at a hospital.

[00:06:34] On February 23, he was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter. In October of 2021, Brendan Currie appeared in juvenile court and pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter. He was sentenced to 7 to 9 months in a juvenile camp and 4 years of probation. This camp was described as rigorous.

[00:06:56] Brendan told Monique's family, quote, I realize my suffering does not even come close to what you have gone through. I was a spoiled, reckless 17-year-old who thought I was invincible, unquote. Monique's family filed a lawsuit. In April of 2022, a settlement was announced.

[00:07:14] The family was awarded $18.85 million, which is one of the largest monetary awards to a single plaintiff in a wrongful death case in the history of California. It was paid by five different insurance companies. It appears as though Brendan and James have moved on with their lives.

[00:07:32] In an image of Brendan captured in the fall of 2023, he can be seen wearing a Mario Kart t-shirt. This video game represents his driving skill pretty well. Hopefully, the extent of his future driving ambitions will be video games.

[00:07:55] Did you guys hear about that couple that went on vacation and one spouse murdered the other? In fact, the entire vacation was planned just so that they could make the murder look like an accident. Ah, so like a Slaycation. Oh boy!

[00:08:08] Sounds like a fun new true crime podcast to me. On every episode of Slaycation, we'll examine true cases of people who were killed while on vacation. Was it murder or just a horrible accident? It's up to you and the law to decide.

[00:08:29] But either way, if you leave for your vacation in the plane and come home under the plane, you've definitely gone on a Slaycation. Join us every week for a fascinating new episode. But make sure to pack your body bags because getting away can be murder. This is Slaycation.

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[00:09:39] We can't thank you enough for the support. Now back to the show. Now moving to my analysis, here are my thoughts on a few areas that stood out to me in this case. Item number one, according to Brendan's attorney, after the collision, Brendan was diagnosed

[00:09:56] with autism spectrum disorder, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A mental health clinician reported that Brendan must have had the autism for his entire life. This is not a surprising assessment considering that a vehicle collision cannot cause autism. Brendan's attorney also claimed that Brendan sustained brain injuries.

[00:10:18] Item number two, was justice served in this case? Some people argue that maybe Brendan didn't run a red light or maybe his license had been returned to him by the time of the collision. Perhaps he was not as responsible as people think.

[00:10:34] In my opinion, there was no excuse for driving over 100 miles per hour on a city street. It was Brendan's responsibility to operate his vehicle in a lawful manner and he did not even come close. Driving any Lamborghini would have been far outside his skill level.

[00:10:50] He never should have been near a vehicle like that. Furthermore, Brendan had repeatedly violated traffic laws before the fatal collision. He was essentially asking to kill someone and was finally granted his wish. Brendan should have been tried as an adult and sent to prison for at least 10 years.

[00:11:08] Instead, he was given a ridiculously light sentence in a rigorous camp. The Los Angeles County District Attorney did not allow prosecutors to hold Brendan accountable as an adult. Some of the district attorneys from the past probably would have.

[00:11:24] Item number three, one concern in this case is the role of Brendan's father, James. One could argue that he was partially responsible for what happened based on the fact that he gave a 17 year old a 641 horsepower vehicle.

[00:11:38] Furthermore, when that vehicle was impounded by the police, James retrieved it and gave it back to his son. There is a sense that James was trying to show Brendan how to be like him and Brendan was all too happy to accept the instruction.

[00:11:53] James has made statements about this case that appear to indicate remorse. For example, less than a month after the fatal collision, James released a statement which read, quote, There are no words I can say to alleviate the pain that you are experiencing and I realize

[00:12:08] none of my words or actions will be able to bring back your daughter. Still, I want to offer my support in any way you will allow me to. My family and I pray for the Munoz family. After the settlement, James posted this message on Instagram, quote,

[00:12:26] As a parent, we hope for the best for our children and words cannot describe how we feel when horrible things happen to our kids. It saddens me that nothing can bring back Ms. Monique Munoz from the car accident between her and my son.

[00:12:40] And I hope that the $18.85 million insurance settlement will build a new beginning that will honor her spirit. My deepest condolences to those who knew her and miss her, unquote. I find it interesting that James insisted on using the word accident instead of collision.

[00:12:58] Also, the high degree of specificity with the dollar amount of the insurance settlement, $18.85 million, seems unnecessary in this context. It's like James doesn't understand how he is being perceived by others. Which brings me to item number four. As I mentioned, James has an Instagram account.

[00:13:19] At the time of making this video, there are 80 posts visible. Many of them demonstrate how James is exceptionally wealthy. It's like he wants people to know that he has exotic vehicles, a swimming pool, and lives in an upscale community.

[00:13:35] In one of his posts, James appears to be operating five laptop computers on a table. It's not clear why this would be necessary for his business. Maybe he needs that many computers to keep up with all his grammatical mistakes.

[00:13:49] The performance of his Instagram account is exceedingly unusual, especially in light of the fatal collision involving his son. He has two million followers, yet there do not appear to be any negative comments on his posts.

[00:14:04] So his son recklessly killed an innocent motorist, and nobody went to the Instagram account to vent? That's pretty hard to believe. Maybe James is trying to put his son's behavior behind him by deleting comments.

[00:14:17] Come to think of it, maybe that's why he needed five computers at the same time. Item number five. There are some odd interviews on various websites that purportedly involve James. In one interview, James talked about the importance of maintaining consistency and said his son

[00:14:33] was the biggest motivation in his life. He wanted to set a great example for him and provide him with opportunities and resources to reach success. James said that he was consumed with work for most of his life, but once his son came into

[00:14:48] the picture, he had to take on the job of being a father. I wonder how James feels about his performance in that role. Is he disappointed that he only gave his son one Lamborghini?

[00:15:00] Brendan may have been very fortunate as far as his father's wealth, but one could argue he was not fortunate in the area of having a father who could serve as a proper role model. Having a wealthy father may have paid off for avoiding serious legal consequences, but

[00:15:16] with a better role model, maybe Brendan would not have killed anybody in the first place. For his entire life, Brendan will have to live with the fact that he killed an innocent person. Nothing is going to erase that reality.

[00:15:31] No amount of money, no number of apologies, and no quantity of Lamborghinis. Now moving to my final thoughts. Sometimes parents think that giving a teenager everything they want is the best parenting strategy. They forget that teenagers are impulsive, make poor decisions, and are wildly irresponsible.

[00:15:51] Teenagers tend to use whatever is given to them to achieve the maximum amount of destruction. They definitely do not need exotic vehicles. What teenagers need is structure, discipline, rules, understanding, and a responsible role model.

[00:16:06] A good objective for a parent would be to get a teenager through the teenage years alive and without harming anyone else. That in itself is quite an accomplishment. One that even some multi-millionaires have failed to achieve. This has been True Crime Psychology and Personality from Ars Langa Media.

[00:16:35] This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Ars Langa Vita Brevis. Allegedly is back for season two. A new crime every time. In each episode of Allegedly, you'll hear a crime told to you by the person who experienced

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