Man Arrested in Royal Palm Beach Hit and Run
A Royal Palm Beach man was arrested on Monday, September 30th, in connection with a fatal hit-and-run. The 30-year-old man is accused of having hit (and killed) a biker with his car and then moving the corpse of the victim into a patch of bushes outside a local McDonald’s.
The experienced criminal defense attorneys at Leifert & Leifert know that dealing with a hit-and-run can be complicated, unnerving and life-altering; all of these are even more true when the hit-and-run ends in the death of an innocent person.
According to an article about the incident published by the Sun Sentinel, the suspect was driving home from work when, at around 12:30 A.M., he struck the victim, who had been riding his bike in the bike lane, illuminated with lights and reflectors for safety. The suspect claimed that he hit the biker when he looked down for a brief moment.
The report cited in the article details the account by the suspect. Apparently, after the crash, the suspect pulled over to the side of the road but did not see anything. Thus, the suspect returned to his car and continued on down the road, when he heard a clanking noise, which led him to turn into a McDonald’s parking lot.
Police say that it was at that McDonald’s where they discovered the body of the victim (in a patch of bushes), whose DNA was found on the suspect’s pants and on the inside of the passenger window of the suspect’s car. That DNA evidence, paired with the other facts of the case, including the fact that the police found drag marks from the place of impact to the bushes, led authorities to the conclusion that the suspect had moved the victim’s body into the bushes.
Being charged with a hit-and-run (especially one that is fatal) is a serious crime, particularly in Florida. Section 316.027 of Florida’s 2013 Statutes outline the responsibility of someone involved in a fatal hit-and-run and lists various penalties that a suspect in such a case faces. To begin with, if the driver does not remain at the scene of the crash until a police officer arrives, they face a third degree felony charge (and up to 5 years in prison in addition to hefty fines). Clearly, in this case, it is argued that the suspect did not fulfill his duty of staying at the scene of the crash. Moreover, he is reported to have tampered with evidence and improperly disposed of a corpse, other serious crimes with serious punishments.
The suspect was being held on $400,000 bail. Without a proper and successful legal defense, he might be spending quite a long time in the state correctional facility system.
If you are charged with a crime in Palm Beach or Broward counties, contact the Law Offices of Leifert & Leifert, a Partnership of Former Prosecutors, for a free consultation to discuss your rights. Call 1.888.5.DEFEND.
