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Two years after the Cuban Tomás Brito died after being struck by a car in Little Havana in Miami, a court sentenced the driver, Víctor Rubio, to 18 years in prison for fleeing the scene and leaving him abandoned without providing assistance.
Rubio, 33 years old and with multiple criminal records, was accused of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and filing a false police report.
This week, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison during a hearing for violating his parole, which had been imposed due to a prior conviction for child abuse, reported the channel NBC6. The prosecution was able to demonstrate that he had violated the terms of his parole by fleeing the scene of the accident without stopping to assist the victim.
The incident occurred on March 12, 2024, around 8:39 p.m., on Calle 8 near Southwest 8th Court, in the heart of the Little Havana neighborhood.
Brito, 40 years old and the father of two teenagers, had left his apartment, just a block away from the location, to buy cigarettes. A surveillance camera from a nearby business recorded the tragic event.
When crossing Calle 8, the man was struck by a speeding BMW that sent him flying through the air. Upon landing, his body got caught in the rear wheel of the car. The driver continued on without stopping, dragging him along the pavement until he was left seriously injured in the middle of the street.
Miami firefighters urgently transported Brito to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died shortly thereafter.
At approximately 10:03 PM, less than two hours after the incident, Víctor Rubio, the owner of the BMW involved, reported that his car had been stolen, according to the police.
The vehicle was found the next day, abandoned in the area of Coral Way and Southwest 14th Avenue, with severe damage to the front, including the windshield.
A neighbor in the area told the officers that they had seen a "suspicious" man walking through the neighborhood the night before, and that he was behaving in a "strange and impatient" manner, according to the police report. The person provided a description of the individual, which matched that of Rubio, and later identified him in a photographic lineup.
On March 19, at 9:45 a.m., the police arrested Rubio at his home, located at 560 SW 47 CT, in Flagami, on charges of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death and making a false report.
Rubio was already a convicted criminal. According to local media reports, he had been in the Miami-Dade County jail three times for offenses including burglary and aggravated child abuse. At the time of the accident, he was on probation for a child abuse case.
Hearing and sentencing
The disappearance of the only witness who could identify Rubio as the driver of the car involved in the accident jeopardized taking the case to trial. In light of this setback, the prosecution sought another legal avenue to secure a criminal conviction.
State prosecutors presented evidence at a hearing for a parole violation, arguing that the defendant had breached the terms by leaving the scene of the accident.
Finally, Judge Andrea Wolfson determined that Rubio had violated his probation by fleeing the scene of the traffic accident and filing a false report of the theft of his vehicle with the authorities.
"The court considers that Mr. Rubio has violated his parole by leaving the scene of an accident," Wolfson stated.
Rubio asked the court for mercy and assured the judge that he was making an effort to become "a different person and a different man."
Wolfson sentenced him to 18 years in prison. Once the sentence was pronounced, the prosecution dropped the charges related to the hit-and-run.
"Justice has been served," said the family
Although the case did not go to trial, after hearing the verdict from the hearing, Tomás Brito's family expressed their satisfaction with the decision.
“Justice has been served,” Dulce del Pino, Brito's mother, told NBC6.
Humberto Brito, the victim's brother, stated: "I believe justice has been served for my brother, for my family, considering the loss we had to endure. We are very satisfied with what happened today in court."
Tomás Brito had turned 40 a week before the accident in which he lost his life. He lived with his mother. In addition to her, he is survived by his children, Kaleb and Kaydi Brito, his brother, and an uncle.
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