Authorities Track Down Hit-and-Run Suspect in Mexico

Nineteen years after the accident, a Cuban national living in Mexico may finally stand trial for allegedly striking and killing a 40-year-old woman and fleeing the scene.

At a preliminary hearing, a judge denied bail for the 52-year-old suspect. “She has been on the run for 19 years,” Miami Police Commander Joaquin Freire told Judge Kelly Carroll in an Aug. 30, 2025 hearing. “She basically was brought back by the U.S. Marshals on Friday night from Mexico, where she’s been hiding for 19 years.”

According to her arrest warrant, the crash happened on Aug. 12, 2006, at the intersection of West 68th Street and 16th Avenue in Hialeah. The suspect was driving north in a blue Toyota Solara when she failed to stop at a flashing red light, colliding with the victim. A hospital blood test showed that the suspect’s BAC level was twice the legal limit. She was released from the hospital before authorities arrested her.

Following a lengthy delay, prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence and dropped the case in February 2022. Then, new evidence emerged, including confirmation from a witness who identified the driver in the fatal crash and validation of toxicology results from the time of the crash. So, the judge re-issued the warrant and authorities arrested the defendant.

Delay in Criminal Cases

Alexander Pope, who said “Justice delayed is justice denied,” was obviously not a criminal defense lawyer. Many times, delay, although frustrating, is the most effective tool in the toolbox of a Tampa criminal defense lawyer.

Delay creates proof issues, such as witness credibility issues. Legally, witnesses can review police reports and other documents to refresh their memories. But must independently recall an event to testify about it. They cannot simply regurgitate the contents of an official report. So, if a witness cannot remember any details of the event not in the police report, such as the weather conditions at the time, a Tampa criminal defense lawyer can disqualify the witness.

Furthermore, delay often causes alleged victim apathy, especially in property cases. When alleged victims lose interest in a case, authorities can technically subpoena them and force them to testify in court against their will. But they only exercise this power in extreme situations.

These two things put pressure on prosecutors to settle the case and get it off the docket. As a result, a lawyer can often negotiate a successful resolution, even if the case seemed like a slam-dunk guilty verdict a few months earlier.

Hit-and-Run Proof Issues

For prosecutors, seemingly minor proof problems, such as a witness without a photographic memory, are major obstacles to convictions. The burden of proof (beyond a reasonable doubt) is so high that the state has little margin for error.

Witness credibility is very fragile in criminal court. It’s hard to establish and easy to lose. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

In the above case, the BAC test results could be an issue as well. A nineteen-year chain of custody is unbelievably long. Any gap in that chain casts doubt on the sample’s reliability. In most cases, any fact-based doubt, as opposed to doubt based on a fancy theory, is a reasonable doubt.

Reach Out to a Tough-Minded Hillsborough County Attorney

A criminal charge is not the same thing as a criminal conviction. For a free consultation with an experienced criminal defense lawyer in Tampa, contact the OA Law Firm. We routinely handle matters throughout the Sunshine State.

Source:

tampabay.com/news/crime/2025/09/15/woman-who-fled-after-fatal-florida-dui-crash-arrested-mexico-19-years-later/