Inset: Patricia Garner (Eric L. Wilson Funeral Home). Background: Sharon Cox (WTVJ).
In a deeply unsettling case out of Miami, a 65-year-old woman from Florida has been sentenced to prison after a fatal hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of a grandmother. The family of the victim, however, is voicing their dissatisfaction with the length of the sentence, arguing that justice has not been adequately served.
Sharon Cox received a four-year prison sentence for the tragic death of Patricia Garner, aged 67, in an event that shook the community in 2023. Garner’s sister, Allie Mobley, spoke to local ABC affiliate WPLG, expressing the family’s anguish over the perceived leniency of the penalty. “To get only the amount of time she got for killing her, it hurts,” Mobley stated, highlighting the deep pain felt by the family.
Mobley’s sentiment underscores a broader frustration with the legal system. She lamented, “You get more time for running over a dog than you will killing a human being,” pointing to what she sees as a disparity in the justice delivered.
The incident occurred in July 2023, as Garner was walking with her son and grandchildren in the parking lot of the Community Action and Services Center at Bunche Park. During this seemingly ordinary family outing, tragedy struck when Cox drove into Garner and two others, subsequently fleeing the scene. Fortunately, a quick-thinking employee managed to note the license plate number, leading to Cox’s arrest at her home the same day.
In court, Cox pleaded guilty to charges including leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. Despite the gravity of her actions, Cox chose not to address the court or the victim’s family during her plea hearing, a decision that left Garner’s relatives feeling further aggrieved. As reported by local NBC affiliate WTVJ, the lack of an apology added to the family’s sense of injustice.
Cox pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a crash with death and other charges. A judge handed down her sentence on Tuesday. She did not make a statement during the plea hearing, which upset Garner’s family, relatives told local NBC affiliate WTVJ.
“Ms. Cox didn’t even stand up and say that she was sorry,” Sandra Welch, Garner’s sister-in-law, told the TV station. “She didn’t say one word.”
Prosecutors initially were going to offer Cox a deal in which she would have to serve just one year behind bars, but Garner’s family wouldn’t go for it.
“You have to fight for your own loved one,” said Bruce Baskin, Garner’s brother. “The system is not going to fight for your loved one — you have to fight. Patricia was not here to fight for herself.”
The Miami-Dade State’s Attorney’s Office released the following statement to local media.
“For every family member in every criminal case, the pain of victimization always cuts deep,” the statement said. “We understand that though this resolution is what the law allows in this case and had been accepted by the victim’s family, no sentence can ever lessen the loss of a loved one. Our hope is that now they can begin their grieving process and find peace.”
Cox’s attorney in a statement to WTVJ called the plea deal an “appropriate resolution where none of the parties involved were fully satisfied.”
“This was a tough case, a tragic accident, and we hope this finality can bring closure to the victim’s family,” attorney Andrew Rier said.
