Victim was only 18 years old and had graduated from Live Oak
High School in June
Morgan Hill – An 18-year-old who was killed Monday night in a single-vehicle accident in Los Altos is remembered by those who knew him as a good friend and a “unique individual.”
Christopher Quezada, who graduated from Live Oak High School in June, was killed Monday night on his way home from DeAnza College. Although the accident is still under investigation, it appears Quezada was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but speed may have played a role in the crash, which occurred at approximately 8:30pm.
“It’s breaking our hearts,” said Charlene Wiltsee, who taught Quezada in Spanish class two years ago. “He was a wonderful kid, just a sweetheart. Everybody was his friend. The students are just destroyed, so many of them knew him, though he was a year or two ahead of them.”
Wiltsee said that though she described him as wonderful, she didn’t want people to think he was conventional.
“He was certainly not a total conformist, he was a unique individual,” she said. “He was wearing Che Guevara t-shirts before it was the thing to do. He was a thinking person, he had some political ideas.”
Quezada really surprised her, Wiltsee said, when he decided to take an AP Spanish class, and though he later changed his mind, she wasn’t surprised, she said, when he became a teacher’s assistant for teacher Audi Yabrudy.
“He was a wonderful worker for her,” Wiltsee said. “I know she was just devastated when she heard the news. We feel so badly for his parents.”
Eva and Tim Musgrove, Quezada’s mother and stepfather, could not be reached for comment.
Quezada worked at the Sinaloa Cafe, bussing tables while he was attending DeAnza. Assistant Manager Billy Surber, who said Quezada had worked at the popular restaurant for several months, described him as quiet and reliable.
“He was really a good worker, someone that always did what was asked of him,” he said. “We were all very surprised when we heard (about the accident). It was a big shock. I think you could say overall, he was a good person.”
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tburchyns@morganhilltimes.
