ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A 23-year-old Michigan woman will spend a year in jail for hitting and killing a 79-year-old man in a wheelchair while driving drunk, and then driving away.
Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Carol Kuhnke sentenced Areli Beraza Vilchis to 365 days in jail for the death of Robert Murray. Vilchis pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death and failing to stop at the scene of a crash resulting in death, court records show.
A Late-Night Trip Across the Street
Just before midnight on May 5, Murray was crossing East Huron Street in his wheelchair at North Fourth Avenue, according to the Ann Arbor Record. He lived in the apartment building right across the street and had reportedly gone out to buy beer.
As the traffic signal changed, Vilchis, who was driving east on East Huron, hit Murray with her car. Police said she left before officers arrived.
Paramedics treated Murray at the scene and took him to a hospital, where he died.
She Turned Herself In
Vilchis turned herself in the next day. She told investigators she didn’t realize at the time that she had hit a person.
At sentencing, the judge reportedly said she was “skeptical” of that claim, but gave Vilchis credit for coming forward instead of “continuing to hide.”
A Widow’s Words
During the November 6 hearing, Murray’s widow, Joyce Murray, called her husband her “best friend.” She said that even though he used a wheelchair, he stayed independent and full of life.
Speaking directly to Vilchis, she said, “You made a choice, darling… You could have got some coffee. You could have called an Uber, but you said no,” according to MLive.
She added that she felt for Vilchis because she is so young and was glad she turned herself in, “but we lost a loved one.”
“I’m Not Expecting Forgiveness”
Vilchis apologized to Murray’s family in court. She said she will carry “the guilt, the sadness and remorse” of taking a life for the rest of her life.
“These actions cannot be undone,” she reportedly said. “I’m not expecting forgiveness. My hope is that you hear my sincerest apologies.”
After her jail time, Vilchis will serve two years of probation.