Advertisement

WOMAN SITTING IN ROAD KILLED IN HIT-RUN

Her boyfriend doesn't know why the woman sat down. The driver was later arrested.
 
Published July 6, 2010

On her MySpace social-networking page, Vinez Delemos asked friends in March to "wish me luck on this road of life. I'm fighting for str8 survival."

About 4:30 a.m. Monday, her fight was over.

Delemos, 31, died after a van hit her as she sat in the middle of 78th Street just north of Camden Field Parkway, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reported.

The driver, 18-year-old Luis Angel Castro of Tampa, fled the scene but was arrested later at his home, deputies said.

Castro told deputies he was scared and didn't know what to do after he struck Delemos, according to an arrest report. When deputies tracked him down, Castro initially denied involvement, but later called deputies back to his home, the report said.

He was charged with leaving the scene of a crash with death and driving with a suspended license. He was being held on $15,250 bail.

Delemos' boyfriend, who was with her at the time, said the couple had been walking before Delemos sat in the road for unknown reasons. It was unclear whether drugs or alcohol were involved, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

After the van hit her, the boyfriend ran to a house for help.

Delemos of Tampa leaves behind a 12-year-old daughter, who is listed as one of her "heroes" on her MySpace page.