Driver in 2017 North Lubbock hit-and-run crash sentenced to 8 years
A 47-year-old man whose family identified him to police as the driver in a fatal hit-and-run crash seven years ago in northwest Lubbock was sentenced this week to eight years in prison after pleading guilty.
Reuben Castillo, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since Oct. 11, 2022, appeared via video conference from the jail and pleaded guilty to a count of failure to stop and render aid involving a death, a second-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 20 years in prison.
Castillo admitted to driving the Dodge vehicle that struck and killed 24-year-old Alejandro Hernandez about 10:30 p.m. March 24, 2017, while he was crossing the road in the 500 block of Slide Road.
Hernandez, a father of six, was taken to University Medical Center where he died.
At the scene, investigators found broken vehicle pieces that suggested the vehicle that struck Hernandez was either a Dodge Durango or Dakota with major damage to the driver-side mirror and headlamp, according to previous A-J reports.
A witness at the scene told police he saw a man lying on the street and the person, described as the suspected driver, standing next to him. The witness said he asked if the man lying on the was OK but never got a response, according to a police report.
He said the suspected driver got back in his vehicle, which had front-end damage, and drove away when he told him he was going to call the police and EMS, according to a police report.
Hernandez's death went unsolved for five years as crash investigators had few leads to go on.
Castillo, who moved to San Antonio after the crash, wasn't ultimately identified as the driver until about 2022, when his family told police he confessed to them that he struck and killed Hernandez, said prosecutor Cassie Graham.
She said the Castillo's family spoke with Hernandez's family first before calling the police.
Investigators also found in Dallas the vehicle Castillo drove during the crash and found it had a new bumper and side view mirrors, the same parts that was left at the scene in 2017.
He was arrested in October 2022 after a Lubbock County grand jury returned an indictment charging him with the second-degree felony.
Victim's widow offers forgiveness
Hernandez's widow, Genesis Campbell, wiped away tears as she watched the plea hearing.
At the end of the hearing, Campbell struggled through her tears and offered her forgiveness.
"I just want to let you know that I forgive you and may God have mercy on your soul," she said. "That's all I wanted to say is that I forgive you."
Castillo could be seen nodding along as Campbell gave her victim impact statement.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Driver in 2017 North Lubbock hit-and-run crash sentenced to 8 years
