"A piece of our heart is missing. A part of us died that day with Matthew. He was my youngest child, my baby. He's now gone forever," said Kraft's mother Maggie at a court hearing Tuesday.
Alston pleaded guilty to second degree murder and said he had to face the consequences for what he did.
"I made a mistake and I do have to pay for it. And I'm so sorry," he told the court.
The crash will cost Alston at least 13 years of his life behind bars. Before the judge sentenced him, he apologized to Kraft's family.
"I'm very, very, very hurt to see y'all sitting there. I'm very sorry m' am," he told Maggie Kraft.
"I did forgive him. I told his parents that I've forgiven him," she told Eyewitness News.
Maggie Kraft and her family met with Alston's family after his guilty plea. Alston's sister expressed her family's gratitude for that face-to-face encounter.
"We wanted to let them know that, as a family that's also suffering a loss, we are sorry. And it meant a lot to us. And the fact that his mother said to us that she forgives Kenya means the world to us," said Seneca Alston.
Alston says she hopes her brother's story sends a loud message to those who party during the holiday season. Kraft's mother wants to spread the same message.
"We gotta get the word out - designated drivers. That's just the way it is. Don't drink and drive. It's not worth it," said Maggie.
