BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The reading of the verdict Wednesday against Steven Von Bargen - delinquent of the most serious charges against him - was even-toned and unemotional.

Reactions to it were not. Victims' families shed anguished tears; fellow students held up jackets to shield Mr. Von Bargen's family from the media.

Mr. Von Bargen, 17, a Roger Bacon High School senior who caused a crash that killed his brother and two friends, was found guilty of three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one count of aggravated vehicular assault in Hamilton County Juvenile Court.

Judge David Grossmann, who made the finding of guilt, set a presentencing hearing for May 19.

One victim's mother thought the verdict would be an end. It was instead a continuation.

''It hurts every day; I hate the fact that he's gone,'' Bev Yearion said outside the courtroom, her sorrow draining the breath from her words.

''It hurts every day.''

Ms. Yearion's son, Kyle, 15, was in the car driven by Mr. Von Bargen as he sped to school - prosecutors contended at more than twice the 35 mph speed limit - the morning of Jan. 14. Two other passengers, Mr. Von Bargen's 16-year-old brother, Greg, and Sarah Garibay, 17, also were killed. All were students at Roger Bacon in St. Bernard.

The motorist that Mr. Von Bargen's car hit head-on in Winton Hills, Donald Robinson of Clermont County, was hospitalized.

Mr. Von Bargen, who turns 18 this month, faces up to three years in a state juvenile facility but could get probation.

Prosecutors contended Mr. Von Bargen's driving was reckless, which substantiated the more serious charges. Mr. Von Bargen's attorney, , argued that his client's action didn't reflect a reckless regard for safety and that police calculations of his speed were faulty.

The Von Bargen family and supporters hugged Mr. Von Bargen in succession prior to the verdict, as the teen from Springfield Township sat stoically, a white ribbon adorning his blue suit.

His eyes filled with tears as attorneys for both sides met with Judge Grossmann in chambers. Family members held hands awaiting their return.

After the verdict was read, Mr. Von Bargen showed no emotion.

In the hallway, the victims' families cried.

''He's got a life sentence right now,'' Steven Garibay, Sarah's father, said of the defendant. Mr. Garibay's wife, Jeannette, added, ''We're not very happy right now.''

Neither the Garibays nor the Yearion family want Mr. Von Bargen to go to jail, though both say responsibility and accountability must be the lesson of this tragedy.

The lesson has to do with driving carefully, Mrs. Yearion said.

The night before the accident, Kyle Yearion had just attended his first driver's education class. As his mother described how excited he was to drive, her voice trailed off.

She wrapped her arms around the framed picture of her son and squeezed tightly.

Previous stories

CULPABILIT IN FATAL CRASH ARGUED April 29, 1997
VON BARGEN TRIAL APRIL 14 April 4, 1997
TEEN WON'T GET ADULT TRIAL March 4, 1997
PARKED VAN CITED IN DRIVER'S DEFENSE Feb. 21, 1997
HUNDREDS SEEK MERCY FOR TEEN DRIVER Feb. 8, 1997
DAD PLEADS FOR SON TO AVOID PRISON Feb. 5, 1997
DRIVER FACES CRIMINAL CHARGES Jan. 31, 1997
'OTHER' DRIVER FILES LAWSUIT Jan. 22, 1997
SCHOOL HOLDS FUNERAL FOR THREE Jan. 19, 1997
THOUSANDS BID TEENS GOODBYE Jan. 18, 1997
POLICE TRY TO RECONSTRUCT CRASH Jan. 17, 1997
PALL CAST OVER ROGER BACON Jan. 16, 1997
3 DEATHS SHATTER SCHOOL Jan. 15, 1997