WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Dec. 16, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Two suspects in a fatal hit-and-run accident in West Valley City have been taken into custody.
Police say Andres Mendoza and Alejandra Molina, both 24, were booked into jail on charges of second-degree felony domestic violence criminal homicide Sunday afternoon.
West Valley City Police Lt. Kent Stokes told Gephardt Daily dispatchers received a call just before 2 a.m. about the incident in front of a home at 2855 West 3785 South.
When officers arrived they found a woman, identified as 36-year-old Tequila Garcia, lying in the road in extremely critical condition.
Stokes said it appeared she had been hit by one or possibly two vehicles.
Medical crews arrived moments later and declared Garcia deceased.
A tweet Sunday morning from WVCPD said: “The investigation indicates that a verbal argument with two people who live in the same house as Garcia took place just before the hit and run.
“Two suspects in the fatal hit and run from early this morning have been taken into custody for questioning. These are the same two people the deceased was reportedly arguing with just prior to the incident.”
A probable cause statement for Mendoza released by the 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City said that he and his girlfriend, Molina, were involved in an argument with their roommate, the victim, over money and “other things.” All three had lived in the same residence for several months, the statement said.
“During the argument, the accused person (A/P) and his girlfriend started moving out of the residence because of the argument,” the statement said. “A/P waited until his girlfriend backed her vehicle out of the driveway and then he started backing out of the driveway. As the A/P was backing out of the driveway he heard his roommate still yelling at him. A/P felt his vehicle hit the roommate (victim) from behind.”
Mendoza said said he lost control of the clutch and his vehicle sped up into the road where he saw his roommate, the victim, try and stand up. He and his girlfriend quickly drove away without rendering aid or calling for help, the statement said.
Bail for each suspect has been set at $500,000.
Gephardt Daily will update the story as more information becomes available.
