Santa Ana couple arraigned for hit and run killing of a 3-year old

Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release: May 18, 2012
Contacts:
Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, Office: 714-347-8408, Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, Office: 714-347-8405, Cell: 714-323-4486

MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR KILLING 3-YEAR-OLD AND INJURING MOTHER IN HIT-AND-RUN IN SCHOOL CROSSWALK
*Defendant’s girlfriend charged with helping him cover his crime by filing false police report

SANTA ANA – A man has been charged with killing a 3-year-old girl and severely injuring the child’s mother by crashing his girlfriend’s car into them as they passed through a crosswalk and then fleeing the scene. The man’s girlfriend is charged with helping him cover his crime by falsely reporting that her car had been stolen. Carlos Antonio Parra, 20, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count each of vehicular manslaughter by unlawful manner of driving and with gross negligence and possession of a controlled substance, and two felony counts of hit and run with permanent injury or death. He faces sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene of a crime and for crime-bail-crime, meaning the defendant was out of custody on bail for another criminal case at the time of the crime. He faces a maximum sentence of 19 years in state prison if convicted. The People will be requesting Parra be held on $500,000 bail at his arraignment today.

Parra’s girlfriend Rebeca Beltran, 24, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count each of accessory after the fact and possession of a controlled substance. She faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months if convicted. The People will be requesting Beltran be held on $50,000 bail at her arraignment today. Both defendants are expected to be arraigned today, Friday, May 18, 2012, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. The time is to be determined.

At approximately 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 8, 2012, Lady H., 27, was pushing her 3-year-old daughter Miranda Palacios in a stroller through a crosswalk on Gilbert Street in Westminster. The crosswalk is across from a school and leads to a residential neighborhood.

Parra is accused of driving alone on Gilbert Street in his girlfriend’s tan Nissan Maxima and failing to brake, slow, or stop as he approached the crosswalk. He is accused of crashing into Lady H. and Palacios, throwing both from the crosswalk. Parra is accused of failing to stop after hitting the two victims and fleeing the scene. He is accused of abandoning the car nearby and leaving it parked and locked with the alarm activated on the street.

The victims were transported to the hospital, where Palacios was pronounced dead approximately one hour later due to blunt force trauma. Lady H. suffered several broken bones and continues to have physical problems as a result.

A few minutes after the crash, Parra is accused of calling his girlfriend, Beltran, from whom he had borrowed the car. Beltran is accused of calling the police that same night and falsely reporting that her car had been stolen in an effort to unlawfully aid Parra avoid arrest, prosecution, and punishment for his crime.

Shortly thereafter, a car matching the description of that involved in the crash that killed Palacios was found parked and locked near the scene of the crime. DNA recovered from the front end of the vehicle registered to Beltran and reported stolen was matched to the victims.

Parra and Beltran were arrested May 16, 2012, after an investigation by the California Highway Patrol and Orange County Sheriff’s Department. When the defendants were arrested, they are accused of being in possession of a box containing approximately one gram of methamphetamine in their closet.

At the time of the crime, Parra is accused of being out of custody on bail for an unrelated robbery case (Case #11NF3001) for which he is accused of being the driver and using the same car involved in the current case.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.

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Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701