The driver accused of killing a bicycle rider in a hit-and-run crash had run a red light at the intersection and was going nearly 100 mph around the time of the collision, the probable cause affidavit against him alleged.
The driver, who was identified as Jeremiah Marroquin, made no evasive maneuvers prior to the May 3 crash and would have certainly known he hit something, investigators determined. Karlissa King, the 35-year-old woman riding the bicycle, was pronounced dead at the scene by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, the report stated.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) timeline, the stoplight at the intersection of Okeechobee Boulevard and Haverhill Road had been yellow for five seconds and was red for approximately two more when the eastbound Marroquin approached shortly before midnight.
The 2008 Hyundai Tiburon that Marroquin, 19, was allegedly driving struck the left side of King’s northbound bike, sending the bike across the intersection as the black coupe kept going, investigators stated. Law enforcement radar clocked the Tiburon soon after the collision going 96 mph, the report stated.
PBSO investigators learned the Tiburon belonged to Marroquin’s brother Joshua Marroquin and the two of them had been in an argument shortly before the crash. After the fight, the suspect took his brother’s keys and drove off, both brothers later told authorities.
Not long after the crash, deputies spotted the Tiburon and pulled it over. By that time, the Marroquin brothers were back together, and Joshua was behind the wheel. During the stop, law enforcement noted damage to the front of the car and other evidence consistent with the crash.
Investigators met with Jermiah on May 7, at which point he allegedly admitted to being the person who was driving at the time of the deadly wreck. The affidavit indicates he walked them through the events of the night: describing his argument with his brother, the crash, and the trip to clean up broken glass from the car afterwards. It was at that final point that the pair were pulled over by deputies.
The report also cites a conversation with Joshua Marroquin, who is reported to have offered a similar account of the fight and his brother driving off in his car.
Jeremiah Marroquin was booked into the Palm Beach County jail on counts of vehicular homicide, failing to render aid/leaving the scene of an accident, and driving without a license.
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