A Venezuelan man allegedly in the United States illegally is in jail after being charged in the death of an elderly Florida woman by backing over her with an SUV in a grocery store parking lot.
On May 17, Deborah Murphy, an 82-year-old grandmother, was walking back to her car on a crosswalk outside a Publix in Panama City Beach when she was struck by a Toyota 4Runner, according to court records.
She was pushed to the ground by the SUV, but the vehicle continued backing up, “running over Ms. Murphy,” according to an arrest affidavit submitted by the Florida Highway Patrol.
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Carlos Suarez-Contreras, 26, was the driver of the vehicle, court records show. Luis Sanabria, 29, was the front-seat passenger.
Both were determined to be in the country illegally, according to arrest records.
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Both men told deputies they were born in Venezuela. The two were issued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and booked into the Bay County Sheriffs Office Jail, court records show.
Suarez-Contreras submitted a written plea of not guilty to the charge of driving with a canceled license and causing a death, a third-degree felony. His Georgia license had been canceled, according to arrest records.
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Under Florida law, an illegal immigrant cannot obtain a state-issued drivers license. However, 19 states and the District of Columbia do issue licenses to “unauthorized residents,” according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
At the scene, Sanabria gave sworn testimony to law enforcement that Suarez-Contreras “was operating the vehicle at the time of the crash.”
Before conducting an immigration investigation, the deputy on the scene noted that Suarez-Contreras gave “suspicious” answers to his questions.
Sanabria immediately left the scene on foot before law enforcement arrived, according to arrest records. He “only returned when I had Suarez-Contreras call him,” a deputy reported later.
Sanabria was found to have an expired visa, according to the incident report. He was released into the custody of ICE, Jacob Navarro, public affairs specialist for the Bay County Sheriffs Office, told Fox News Digital.
Suarez-Contreras is being held without bond because of his immigration status and because it is believed that “he is a potential flight risk,” Florida Highway Patrol records show.
Just after the incident, Murphy was taken to the hospital and died from injuries related to the crash, according to court documents.
Suarez-Contreras is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 17 at the Bay Count
