An illegal immigrant is now facing charges for a fatal crash that occurred earlier this year, marking the latest in a slew of stories involving unlawful residents causing untimely deaths for American citizens.
Elvis Cruz-Ferrera, an 18-year-old illegal migrant from Honduras, allegedly caused the death of Lauryn Leonard, a 19-year-old student from Virginia. In February of this year, the migrant was reportedly driving 25 miles over the speed limit on a 60 mile-per-hour road. Although he walked away from the crash with treatable injuries, Leonard was killed upon impact.
The young woman was driving to her Norfolk apartment around six o’clock at the time of her death, which occurred in the Chesapeake area along Interstate 664. Her 2000 Toyota Solara was derailed by Cruz-Ferrara in his 2008 Pontiac Vibe, leading both of them to lose control of their respective vehicles and collide with the guardrails.
Leonard’s family is now left wondering if her tragic death could have been avoided if the other driver had been deported according to previous orders. The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reported that Cruz-Ferrera first came to the country when he was 11, entering unaccompanied at McAllen, Texas.
He was initially detained by federal agents but at some point released, being allowed to illegally reside in America since. Cruz-Ferrera failed to appear at a court hearing in 2018, at which time he was ordered to be deported by a judge. However, he has never been kicked out of the country, despite multiple incidents of breaking the law.
Now, the illegal immigrant is facing involuntary manslaughter and driving without a license charges, which could land him up to 10 years in jail, if convicted.
Meanwhile, Leonard’s loved ones are missing the “light” she had that “touched the lives” of those around her. According to her obituary, the young woman was a sophomore at Old Dominion University at the time of her death. She had been working in a variety of positions, including childcare, tutor, and care assistant.
