Man Sentenced For 2019 Logan Heights Hit-And-Run Death

SAN DIEGO, CA — A man convicted of fatally striking a pedestrian nearly four years ago in Logan Heights, then fleeing the scene, was sentenced Thursday to four years in state prison.

Gustavo Reyes, 42, was found guilty by a San Diego jury of hit-and-run causing death for striking 52-year-old Maria Estrada Romero on the morning of Nov. 15, 2019.

Romero, a mother of five who was known by some locals as the "Tamale Lady" for the food she would make and sell in the community, was walking in a crosswalk at Kearney Avenue and Cesar E. Chavez Parkway when she was struck.

Prosecutors say Reyes was behind the wheel of a Ford F-150 that hit Romero, then drove off. He was driving on a suspended license at the time.

The victim was hospitalized and taken off life support four days later.

According to Deputy District Attorney Hailey Williams, Reyes' truck was driven across the border into Mexico less than a day after Romero was struck.

The prosecutor said cell phone evidence showed Reyes' phone was at the intersection of Kearney Avenue and Cesar E. Chavez Parkway when the fatal hit-and-run occurred.

An anonymous tip led to his arrest in April 2022 at a business at South 28th Street and National Avenue, less than a mile from the crime scene.

"It took more than two years alone to identify the defendant as the driver of the vehicle in this case because of the evasive actions that he took, including hiding his truck in another country," Williams said. "It took more than two years to bring this case to a court of law and it was not because of the defendant's assistance or the defendant's willingness to accept any responsibility in this case."

Reyes' attorney, Jay Monico, said his client was unaware that he struck a person and said as much on the stand during his trial.

"Today, Mr. Reyes once again provides his story that he was not aware of this accident," Monico said at the sentencing hearing. "This statement should not be construed as Mr. Reyes denying responsibility or a lack of remorse. If Mr. Reyes would have known that he struck Ms. Romero, he would have stopped and rendered aid regardless of his license status."

Reyes apologized to Romero's family in court and echoed his attorney's statements that he never realized he had struck the victim.

"It saddens me because Ms. Romero was a part of the community I grew up in," he said. "My heart is truly heavy. I will always carry this burden with me ... I truly wish I could do something to lessen the Romero family's pain and suffering."

San Diego Superior Court Judge Steven E. Stone imposed the maximum possible penalty for the hit-and-run conviction.

In doing so, Stone said he took into account the fact that Reyes was driving on a suspended license when Romero was struck and had five prior convictions for driving on a suspended license, along with two prior DUIs.

The judge also noted that Reyes' truck was moved into Mexico shortly after Romero was struck.

"The defendant disposed of the evidence of his crime in another country. The defendant went to great lengths to avoid prosecution and, the court notes, he almost got away with it," Stone said.

— City News Service