Murrieta Woman Out Walking When Killed By Suspected DUI Driver

UPDATE: Charges were filed in this case. Read the latest: Felon Formally Charged In Murrieta Woman's Death

MURRIETA, CA — A 71-year-old woman was walking on the sidewalk along Clinton Keith Road in Murrieta when she was struck and killed Wednesday morning by a suspected DUI driver who fled the scene before his eventual arrest, according to details released by the Murrieta Police Department.

Gloria Henry, 71, of Murrieta was pronounced dead at Wildomar's Inland Valley Medical Center less than an hour after the 8:06 a.m. incident that occurred approximately 400 feet east of Via Mariposa, according to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau.

Henry was walking along the sidewalk on the north side of Clinton Keith when 57-year-old Rodney Wayne Phillips approached at the wheel of a full-size pickup truck in westbound lanes, traveling at an undetermined speed, Murrieta police Lt. Spencer Parker said.

"Through witness statements, investigators learned that the suspect drove onto the sidewalk and struck the victim," Parker said. "He then fled the scene."

Patrol officers searched the area and quickly located Phillips' pickup three blocks away, with him still in it, according to Parker.

The lawman said the suspect was arrested without incident and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run resulting in death. Phillips is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.

No background information on the suspect was available.

The crash forced a complete closure of all westbound lanes on Clinton Keith Road from Toulon Drive to California Oaks Road as police investigated for several hours. Neville Street was also closed between Clinton Keith and Via Segovia.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information was asked to contact the police department at 951-304-2677.

—City News Service contributed to this report.