Parents Of RivCo Son Who Was Killed By Driver Speak Out Against Her Early Release: Reports

CORONA, CA — The parents of a man who was killed in 2020 are speaking out after learning that the driver is set to be released from state prison as soon as next month, according to multiple reports.

Benjamin Montalvo was riding his bicycle with friends near his alma mater, Centennial High School when he was struck by Noemi Velado, who fled the scene, KTLA reported.

Velado, who later turned herself in, was texting and speeding when she hit Montalvo in a shared bike and car lane, authorities determined.

Parents Kellie and Eddie Montalvo claim Velado never showed any remorse for killing their son. The pair told NCB that they received a notice of her early release from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

She has served two years of her nine-year sentence.

It takes us right back to the time of trial and feels like a gut punch," Kellie told NBC. "I keep thinking it’s a clerical error. And I keep thinking and have hope it’s a mistake, but that thread of hope is becoming thinner and thinner."

Now the couple is pleading local and state lawmakers to designate Velado's offense as a violent crime, KTLA reported. In that case, she would have to serve 80 percent of her sentence.

“When you encounter someone like that with no remorse for what she did, she’ll be out doing it again,” Eddie, Benjamin's father, told KTLA.

A GoFundMe campaign in 2020 raised $15,347 to help the Montalvo family pay for funeral services.

"I am humbled and literately brought to my knees because of your generosity. Because of you all, we were able to lay our precious Bean Dip to rest with beauty and dignity," Kerrie wrote at the time. "The pain is unbearable..and will continue to be. I just need each of you to know that your help and kind words have allowed us to breathe and to do what no parent, no big brother, no friend, should ever have to do."

Benjamin, who was nicknamed "Bean Dip," had just turned 21 when he was killed and worked at Target. Many shared their memories of him on the 2020 GoFundMe page, which was launched the day after he was killed and before Velado turned herself in.

"When my grandson started working at target in market with Ben, I asked Ben, 'could you take my grandson under your wing and help him out?' And he said 'gladly no problem' and with a smile on his face, and I knew my grandson was in good hands. Our prayers are with the family. We will never forget Ben," wrote Colleen Simpson.

Another donor, Sarah Ralston, shared her thoughts.

"All of my greatest childhood memories involve you Beandip, you will be greatly missed and are incredibly loved," Ralston wrote.