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Left: The scene of the fatal accident in St. Petersburg, Florida. Right: Kyle Hill ((St. Petersburg Police Department).
A 33-year-old Florida man accused of killing a woman and severely injuring her boyfriend by drunkenly ramming their car off the road because he mistakenly believed his ex-girlfriend was in the vehicle told a judge on Thursday that he didn’t remember “anything” about the incident.
The apparent case of amnesia came up during Kyle Hill’s first virtual appearance in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court on Thursday.
Hill told Circuit Judge Philip Federico that he no memory of allegedly sending 35-year-old Norbelis Figueredo-Campos, and his girlfriend, 28-year-old Arislenni Blanco-Medina, off the road and right into a concrete pole. The pole then fell atop the couple’s car, killing Blanco-Medina and seriously injuring Figueredo-Campos.
During the hearing, Hill claimed he was unable to answer questions from the court, according to courtroom footage obtained by Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA.
“Apparently, your car is not in good shape after the accident situation, was that paid off?” Federico asked, referring to Hill’s pickup truck that was upside-down following the crash.
“I don’t remember anything, sir,” Hill responded.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, police say that after Hill and his ex-girlfriend had an argument Sunday night, she hopped in a car and left with a friend.
Hill then allegedly jumped in his own vehicle and drove south on 34th Street near 30th Avenue North in St. Petersburg in search of her. Hill then spotted a Honda which he thought she was riding in and allegedly proceeded to “aggressively” chase and harass the Honda for several blocks, police said.
“While chasing a car, he called her again and said, ‘I got you. I’m going to kill you, your friend and myself,’” Chief Anthony Holloway told reporters at a press conference. “But it gets worse from there. The car that he was chasing was not his girlfriend’s car.”
Actually inside the Honda were the victims, both of whom were recent immigrants from Cuba and were on their way to a local Walmart. Police allege Hill forced the Honda off the road and over the sidewalk near 17th Avenue North, where it smacked into a concrete pole, which fell and crushed the car. Blanco-Medina died while Figueredo-Campos suffered serious injuries, including a broken femur and two broken ankles.
Hill lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree in the median, police said. In addition to him traveling 60 mph in a 35 mph zone, Hill’s blood alcohol level was 0.185, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to police. Initially charged with DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, he now stands accused of first-degree murder and attempted murder.
“He used his car as a weapon,” Holloway said.
Figueredo-Campos immigrated from Cuba and had been in the U.S. for about a year and a half, while his girlfriend arrived a few months ago. Blanco-Medina was talking on the phone with her father and 9-year-old daughter during the incident and told them she feared for her life. Her family members heard the crash.
The victims’ families spoke at the press conference about the excitement Figueredo-Campos had when his girlfriend joined him in the U.S.
“His dream, obviously, was to bring his girlfriend, his partner, here with him so she could provide for her daughter and her parents in Cuba,” his aunt said in Spanish. “They were very ambitious when they got here.
Nicole Galvan, Figueredo-Campos’ cousin, described her as always happy and never dull.
“You would go to her house, and you would always hear music, and she would always be dancing,” she said. “Her and her boyfriend would always have music and always just bring a brighter and more positive vibe to anyone who was dealing with anything around them. They never had problems with anybody, not a single soul.”
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