A man is accused of hitting two pedestrians with his truck, killing one of them, and then driving away, only to allegedly admit to his family that he “killed” someone near a casino.
Vicente Vasquez, 61, is charged with vehicular homicide, knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in great bodily harm or death, failure to provide information and render aid, failure to provide immediate notice of an accident, and evidence tampering, according to the New Mexico State Police.
On the eve of the Fourth of July, at approximately 10:45 p.m., New Mexico State Police troopers responded to the intersection of Sunland Park Drive and Appaloosa Drive in Sunland Park. The small city is just a few miles from the state’s border with Texas and Mexico.
Investigators discovered that two pedestrians were attempting to cross the street when they were struck by a maroon Ford Ranger “traveling at a high rate of speed.” One of the pedestrians was critically injured and taken to a nearby hospital. Graciela Sahs, 26, died at the scene of the crash.
Sunland Park police officers later discovered a damaged maroon Ford Ranger “concealed under a tarp” at a home in the city, with damage consistent with the crash. Vasquez was identified as a suspect, and police said they discovered he had told family members that he had “killed” someone.
When investigators spoke with him later, he allegedly admitted to being involved in the crash, but he “believed he hit a dog,” and he did not stop his truck “because he was tired.” Police said he admitted to attempting to conceal the vehicle.
According to KTSM, NBC’s El Paso affiliate, Vasquez’s niece alerted police to his location.
“I am very angry,” said Nikolas Nava, Sahs’ father. “Not only did you take our daughter away, but you also broke her heart, so it was a double whammy. “He has destroyed our family.”
Sahs’ family told KFOX that she was out buying fireworks for the Fourth of July the next day. Nava suggested that Vasquez had previously been arrested for a driving-related offense.
“It is okay to be scared, but stop. If you do not stop, turn yourself in and say, ‘I think I did something,’ but I am not sure why the guy ran away like a coward.
And given that this is not the first time he is been arrested for it, and you know he is been arrested before for drunk driving, what was he doing behind the wheel?” He added.
