Alex Romero's Killer Convicted
Thread started by
trickmilla at 01.28.12 - 2:25 am
I'm sure this is a very small consolation to all, but the woman who killed alex romero and her father who tried to cover up the crime have both been convicted and are expected to receive jail time.
If you are friends or family of Alex, my sincere condolences for your loss.
Much respect to everybody who helped Alex's family get this small bit of justice.
RIP Alex Riomero
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The following text is copied directly from Ted Roger's Biking in LA.
See the Original Article for links and references: http://bikinginla.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/breaking-news-dominique-and-stephen-rush-accept-a-plea-deal-in-hit-and-run-death-of-alex-romero/
Breaking news — Dominique and Stephen Rush accept a plea deal in hit-and-run death of Alex Romero
by bikinginla
Big news on the legal front.
According to courtroom reports from cyclist and attorney Dj Wheels, Dominique Rush, the driver charged with the hit-and-run death of 17-year old cyclist Alex Romero, will spend the next few years behind bars.
Wheels, who was in the courtroom for today’s preliminary hearing, reports the 23-year old Rush entered a plea of No Contest to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run.
Her father, Steven Rush, also entered a plea of No Contest to being an accessory after the fact for his efforts in helping his daughter cover-up her crime.
Romero was riding north along De Soto Avenue with a friend on the night of April 20th when he was struck by a speeding car near the intersection with Valerio Street. The driver, later identified as Rush, reportedly tried to pass another vehicle on the right, striking Romero’s bike from behind and killing him instantly before speeding off without stopping or slowing down.
That began a months-long investigation in which the police soon identified Rush as the suspect, but were unable to find the 2003 Toyota Corolla she’d been driving at the time.
According to the police, that difficulty was due, at least in part, to her father’s efforts. As KNBC-4 reported at the time of the arrest,
"The father went way beyond taking care of his child," said Capt. Ivan Minsal of LAPD Valley Traffic Division. "He concealed the information. He concealed the car that his daughter, the driver, was driving."
Now they’ll both have to pay for their crimes.
Wheels reports that Dominique will be sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on March 6th, while her father will receive 10 days in jail, along with 30 days on a Caltrans road crew.
I hope he works on a roadway where he’ll have to watch a lot of cyclists go by.
And yes, that sentence is a relative slap on the wrist for running down another human being and leaving him to die in the street where he fell. Maybe someday someone can explain to me how anyone could do that to another person.
Anyone with a heart, anyway.
But it may be the best prosecutors could do under the circumstances.
The fact is, this is one case the police didn’t give up on. Maybe it was pressure from the cycling community. Or maybe it was dedication to their jobs, and a commitment to keep going until they had the guilty party behind bars.
The LAPD investigators in charge of this case kept at it long after they could have given up and pushed it off the back burner. And long after many of us had given up on this case.
That they didn’t says a lot about them.
And the gratitude we all owe them on Alex’ behalf.
Wheels reports that his aunt Matilda addressed the court, saying Alex was a precious gift from God, and asking Dominique to repent. He says Dominique cried during the aunt’s comments, while Steven was tearful but composed.
I’m sure they’ll shed more tears in the days and years to come.
But it won’t begin to compare with the tears that have already been shed by Romero’s family and friends.
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The sentencing went forward today as scheduled.
Very emotional and painful to listen to all of the family's victim impact statements. Everyone noted how Alex was a generous, caring and important member of their family, who will be greatly missed.
KCAL was there and covered the story. Click here for
NEWS COVERAGE
Dominique was sentenced to 2 years, 8 months in state prison. She was given credit for her time in custody plus good time served for a little over 300 days credit.
Her father, Steven, was sentenced to 10 days county jail, plus 30 days of community labor for being an accessory after the fact, a felony.
Dominique openly wept during the 20 minute slideshow of family pictures. Her father showed little emotion. The both apologized to the family.
DJwheels03.6.12 - 9:31 pm
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