An 18-year-old undocumented immigrant has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after fatally striking a 75-year-old grandmother with his sports car. The incident, which occurred in Tucson, Arizona, left a community grieving and questioning the leniency of the punishment.
Alexis Eduardo Ibarra-Guerrero received his sentence from a judge at the Pima County Superior Court for the tragic hit-and-run that claimed the life of Sally Alcaraz Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who worked as a caregiver, was on her way to work when she was tragically hit by Ibarra-Guerrero’s Chevrolet Camaro. Authorities later discovered her body on the road.
According to legal documents, dashcam footage showed Ibarra-Guerrero, who was driving without a license, exiting his vehicle to inspect the scene before fleeing. The footage revealed the teen leaving Rodriguez on the ground and then driving away from the site.
The court heard that Ibarra-Guerrero drove several blocks with Rodriguez clinging to the vehicle before she eventually fell, or was pushed off. After evading capture for ten days, he eventually turned himself in to the authorities.
Pima County Superior Court heard he drove several blocks with Rodriguez on top of the vehicle before she fell or was pushed off.
He turned himself in ten days later.
Prosecutors said there was no evidence the crash itself was intentional, meaning Ibarra-Guerrero, from Mexico, was not charged with causing her death.
Instead, he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or serious injury.
Alexis Eduardo Ibarra-Guerrero, 18, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for leaving the scene of a hit-and-run that killed a beloved grandma
Sally Alcaraz Rodriguez, 75, was walking to her caregiver job when she as struck
The sentence, which includes 100 days already served, prompted emotional scenes in court as Rodriguez’s family addressed her killer.
‘To our family, she is everything,’ her daughter, Mary Rodriguez Romero, according to 13News. ‘She is the heart of our family tree. The one who held us all together.’
Another relative told the court: ‘He needs to face the consequences that a grown man should. He messed up and now it’s time for him to face the music.’
Romero said her mother had spent years working as a caregiver, helping those who could not help themselves.
The court also heard Ibarra-Guerrero was in the United States illegally after overstaying a visa at the time of the crash on November 3.
In a brief statement, he said the incident had been difficult for him, while his defense argued the collision, near Irvington Road and 12th Avenue, was an accident.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Danielle Constant said she had considered the evidence before handing down the sentence.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Danielle Constant was responsible for the slap-on-the-wrist sentencing
Prosecutors said there was no evidence the crash was intentional, so he was not charged with causing her death
Rodriguez with family, who said she spent years helping those who could not help themselves
After completing his prison term, Ibarra-Guerrero could face deportation proceedings. If he remains in the United States, he will be released under supervision.
Rodriguez’s family previously described her to 13News as a devoted mother and grandmother who sent daily uplifting messages to loved ones and was active in her church.
‘She would help anybody,’ her son-in-law, Rogelio Romero, said. ‘It didn’t matter who they were – she would make friends with anyone.’
On the night she was killed, she had been on her way to care for a 100-year-old patient.
‘I love my mother, she means the world to me,’ Romero said. ‘I’m never going to forget her.’
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with funeral expenses for Rodriquez.
