Cleveland Driver Pleads Guilty To Hitting, Killing Woman

CLEVELAND — Edwin Valentin has pleaded guilty to hitting a Cleveland woman with his car on Christmas Day, killing her. He will be sentenced on May 13.

According to prosecutors, Valentin hit a 35-year-old woman outside of her home on W. 52nd Street in Cleveland. Valentin swerved onto a tree lawn, hit a utility pole, then a tree and then the woman. He dragged the woman across the driveway with his car and then hit a second utility pole, court documents said.

Valentin managed to drive his car away before Cleveland police and EMS arrived on the scene. The woman was rushed to a hospital but died from her injuries five days after the accident.

“This individual recklessly killed a mother outside of her home on Christmas Day and fled the scene,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “That holiday will always remind the victim’s family of the tragic loss they have suffered.”

Investigators identified Valentin as the driver and took him into custody the day after the crash. Police linked him to the woman's death using video surveillance and a license plate which was left at the scene, prosecutors said.

Valentin pleaded guilty to the following charges: aggravated vehicular homicide, failure to stop after an accident and attempted tampering with evidence. He will be sentenced on May 13 at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center.