WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 22-year-old woman was arrested Friday in connection to a hit-and-run that killed a 29-year-old man in 2019, according to West Palm Beach police.
Giselle Maria Infante is being charged with vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a deadly crash, driving without a license, and tampering with evidence.
The crash occurred on the night of June 18, 2019, in the 7500 block of S. Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach.
According to police, Nelson Roman Rodriguez was crossing the street when he was struck by a vehicle, which investigators then described as a dark gray, metallic Chevy Camaro from between the 2010 - 2015 model years. The vehicle then sped away.
Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rodriguez's wife and two children were present when the crash occurred.
"I heard this huge, empty impact," said Danairis Ramos, Rodriguez's wife. "Then I ran to the street and I saw him. It was horrible for me, seeing the person I love dying."
Police said the suspect's vehicle was found two days later on the 1000 block of North Tamarind Ave. in West Palm Beach.
According to police, units responded to the area after receiving a phone call from an anonymous person stating the damaged vehicle was at the location for the past two days.
The vehicle was parked and unoccupied and had a new windshield and a new right front fender. Police said the pieces that were found at the scene of the crash were in fact missing from the vehicle.
Further investigation led police to a windshield repair company that provided multiple recorded calls from the day before, June 19, requesting a new windshield for a 2015 Camaro.
Police said the person making the calls identified herself as Gizelle Infante.
Infante told police she was not driving and could not drive due to a recent arrest for a suspended license. She said she did not know about the crash and told police the car belonged to someone else. She said the person had damaged the car and had asked her to fix it.
Police interviewed the person who, according to Infante, was the owner of the vehicle. He told police he was sleeping at the time of the crash and Infante was the one in possession of the vehicle. The person went on to say that Infante was involved in a fight with another person, which caused the damage to the vehicle.
On June 22, 2019, police received a tip about a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Police contacted the person who said he was staying at a hotel on South Dixie Highway where Infante had picked him up and they went to liquor store in Lake Worth.
The man told police they were traveling on S. Dixie Hwy. when he saw Rodriguez on the side of the road and noticed he started walking into the street.
The man said Infante was speeding and he told her to "watch out." Infante swerved but ended up hitting Rodriguez.
Infante fled the scene saying the vehicle did not have insurance and she was on SOR (Supervised Own Recognizance).
The man told police he attempted to get out of the vehicle multiple times but the door was stuck.
He said Infante dropped him back off at the hotel, which was caught on the hotel's security camera.
The man also stated that he remembered Rodriguez was not wearing a shirt when the crash happened but he was wearing red pants. Police said Rodriguez's clothing had not been made public.
Police executed a warrant on Infante's Camaro and her DNA was found on the driver controls and other parts of the vehicle.
Infante was taken into custody Friday.