Man pleads guilty in hit-and-run that killed 7-year-old Ukrainian girl in Montreal
Posted May 9, 2024 3:18 pm.
Last Updated May 9, 2024 3:19 pm.
The motorist accused in the hit and run that killed a young Ukrainian evacuee in Montreal, has pleaded guilty to failing to stop after an accident.
Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia, 46, was charged in the case and entered a guilty plea on Thursday.
Seven-year-old Mariia Legenkovska was hit by a vehicle on December 13, 2022, while walking to school with her siblings in the Sainte-Marie district.
The driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee left the scene and turned himself in hours later.
Becerra Garcia maintains that he never saw the girl, as the sun was blinding at the time. He heard a noise and said he felt a bump, but when he looked in his mirrors, he saw nothing and continued on his way.
He was subsequently charged with leaving the scene, but not with dangerous driving, as the investigation concluded that it was an accident.
The prosecutor and defence jointly suggested a sentence to be served at home, followed by probation and a driving ban for a few years.
Mariia and her family moved to Montreal in 2022 to escape the Russian invasion of their country.
Her father, Andrii Legenkovska, was fighting for Ukraine’s territorial defence forces when she was killed, and he travelled to Montreal from the front lines to bury his daughter.
Sentencing is expected in June.
With files from The Canadian Press
