ST. CROIX — The driver of the vehicle that allegedly struck and killed 54-year-old Christina Finney last month has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Ms. Finney was walking along Queen Mary Highway (Route 70) near The Market supermarket on the evening of April 19 when she was struck from behind by a truck. Officers responding to the incident found a bystander providing medical assistance to the victim, who had reportedly been thrown over 20 feet from the initial point of impact. According to the police report, one of the responding emergency medical technicians identified Ms. Finney as his aunt.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed the driver of a dark-colored pickup truck with an extended cab exit his vehicle, limp toward Ms. Finney as she lay on the ground, and then return to his truck, driving away with the driver’s side door still open. The driver reportedly did not call 911 to report the incident or request assistance for the critically injured woman.
Ms. Finney suffered blunt force trauma to her body and experienced respiratory and cardiac arrest, according to the emergency room physician who treated her. She died at Juan F. Luis Hospital approximately one hour after the collision.
Initially unable to identify the driver, investigating officers analyzed license plate data from a nearby reader. This analysis directed police to a blue 2006 Dodge Dakota registered to a deceased woman. Following a tip from a concerned citizen, officers located the vehicle on April 29 parked behind Frontline Bar.
At the bar, officers found Cedric Richardson, who police observed walking with a noticeable limp. The truck was towed, and Richardson was detained for questioning. Richardson reportedly admitted to police that he was the sole operator of the vehicle but claimed that damage to the front end of the truck resulted from a prior accident involving his now-deceased wife, who was listed as the vehicle’s owner. He said he was unsure whether his wife had reported that accident. However, investigators obtained surveillance images of the truck taken in the days leading up to the fatal incident, showing no previous damage.
Richardson denied being in the area of the collision on April 19, reportedly telling officers that he had not driven through that area in about a month. He also stated that he did not possess a valid driver’s license, a claim confirmed by a search of the Department of Motor Vehicles records.
Richardson was subsequently arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, and leaving the scene of an accident. Unable to meet the initial $50,000 bail requirement, he was remanded into custody pending his initial court appearance.
On April 30, Richardson appeared before Magistrate Venitia Velázquez, who found probable cause to uphold the charges against him. Details from his advice of rights hearing held on May 1, including potential adjustments to bail and pre-trial release conditions, had not been publicly released at press time.
British Caribbean News
