Case of fatal hit-and-run of Ukrainian girl back in court
Posted January 30, 2024 2:50 pm.
Prosecutors in the case of a driver accused of fatally hitting a young Ukrainian evacuee in Montreal before fleeing the scene are exploring if the case can be settled without going to trial.
The defence has hinted it’s not ready to settle at any cost.
Seven-year-old Mariia Legenkovska was hit by a vehicle while walking to school with her siblings in the Sainte-Marie district on Dec. 13, 2022. The family had just moved to Montreal two months earlier to escape the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The driver fled the scene and was arrested hours later when he turned himself in. Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia, 46, was charged with fatal hit-and-run.
On Tuesday a judge met with both parties, which are trying to determine if the accused knew he had hit the girl. Crown prosecutors argue not only would he have known, but that he should have stopped.
Whether the driver deserves a firm prison sentence is also at stake.
A confidential facilitation process before a judge began in November to “find a judicial solution.”
Also that month, a judge was reportedly analyzing the evidence to reach an agreement between the parties to settle the case.
Becerra Garcia is next scheduled to appear in court March 4.
