Fort Bend County man sentenced after deadly hit-and-run, called friend after
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - In Fort Bend County, one man was sentenced to two decades in prison for leaving the scene of a deadly crash.
Joaquin Adrian Lima, 29, of Rosenberg will spend 20 years in prison for his involvement in a hit-and-run incident that killed Austin Reese in 2021.
According to Alison Baimbridge, the Chief Prosecutor for Vehicular Crimes, Lima was driving northbound in a Pontiac Vibe in the 14000 block of the I-69 service road on Dec. 20, 2021, when he hit pedestrian Reese.
SUGGESTED: Diamond Alvarez murder suspect Frank Deleon Jr. attacked during court appearance
Lima left the scene without providing assistance to Reese or alerting 911, officials say. He stopped at a nearby Sugar Land gas station to inspect the damage to his vehicle, which included front-end and windshield damage, the loss of the right-side mirror, and damage to the back passenger window and fender. Afterward, he drove to his apartment and was seen on surveillance video examining the damage, contacting a friend, and hiding the damage to the car.
Joaquin Adrian Lima (Photo courtesy of Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office)
Reese was pronounced dead at the scene due to his injuries.
In the days after, Sugar Land detectives were able to locate the vehicle with the help of DPS and license plate cameras and identify the vehicle using numbers on car parts left at the scene.
Glass and paint samples found on Reese's body were positively matched to known samples from Lima's vehicle. DNA collected from the vehicle further corroborated a match with the victim's DNA.
Authorities were able to find and arrest Lima around 10 days later.
According to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, evidence revealed Lima had informed his friends and family that the police were searching for him and told them not to cooperate if contacted. Lima also moved out his apartment, bought a new car, and changed his appearance.