Driver gets 1 year in prison for hit-and-run that killed woman in Wheaton – NBC4 Washington

A driver was sentenced to a year in prison Friday after pleading guilty to hitting a woman and driving away in Wheaton, Maryland, in 2022.

The victim was Luz Roa. She was 59 years old.

Tyreke Jones pleaded guilty to the January 17, 2022, crash. Roa got off a bus, attempted to cross Veirs Mill Road at Ferrara Avenue and was struck.

Surveillance footage shows what prosecutors say Jones did that night. He stopped at the scene of the accident for a few seconds, got out, looked around, turned off his headlights and drove away.

Before handing down her sentence, Judge Bibi Berry looked at Jones and said she thought he was a good person who made a mistake. She said she had seen photos of his damaged car and they were shocking. The judge said she did not believe his story that he thought he had hit an animal. He must be punished, she said.

Roa’s sister, Elsa Roa, described the details as unbearable.

“It’s even more painful to know what he said, that he thought he hit a dog. She weighed 170 pounds. I’ve never seen a dog that big. And then she was thrown 75 feet away. That was bad. That was horrific,” she said.

Photos of the Volkswagen Passat that Jones was driving that night show severe damage.

Montgomery County police held a press conference after Roa’s death. A tip came in that told investigators where to find the car.

Before hearing his verdict, Jones stood up, looked Elsa Roa in the eye and apologized. He was in tears at times during the hearing, but never explained why he left the crime scene.

“I’m not sure I can trust his sincerity because he has been lying from the beginning,” Elsa Roa said.

Roa couldn’t have children, so she worked as a caregiver. She didn’t drive and took the bus everywhere.

Elsa Roa said she still can’t believe her sister died.

“Her life was very, very hard, but she kept going,” she said. “Her faith was what she relied on. She persevered and dedicated her life to helping others.”