Courtney Gainey pleads not guilty to the hit-and-run death of Allana Staiano

Courtney Gainey, 23, is accused of leaving the scene of the crash that killed 14-year-old Allana Staiano and injured her friend in the Suncoast Estates community in January.

Gainey went before a judge for her arraignment in Lee County court Monday, where she entered a not guilty plea to the charges against her.

Allana’s mother, Christine Gray, wants justice for her daughter.

“When they take another person’s life, they should have to face those consequences,” Gray told WINK News.

Gray says her daughter did not deserve to die. She told us she wakes up every day with incredible pain.

“Everything reminds me of her, everything,” Gray said. “And it’s been really, really hard.”

A cross memorial full of stuffed animals and gifts remains where investigators say Staiano was killed. The crash happened on McDaniels Drive Jan. 11.

“She stripped everything from my daughter,” Gray said. “My daughter had talked to me the day before about wanting to go to college. That’s been taken away from her.”

Investigators believe Gainey is the driver who took off. Gainey’s arrest report says that she turned herself in three days later.

Gray does not have sympathy for Gainey.

“If she actually has the audacity after all her actions to stand up there and say not guilty, then it’s just going to fuel me to push it to make sure she gets full punishment,” Gray said.

Gainey’s court hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.

You can trust WINK News to be in court for Gainey’s hearing, and we’ll let you know what happens.