Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Margaret Caitlin Walker, 32, has been sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by three years of probation, after entering a plea of nolo contendere to driving under the influence and killing a bicyclist, Zeshan Haider, on November 27, 2022.

A Gainesville Police Department (GPD) investigation found that a Volvo hit a bicyclist on S. Main Street near SE 33rd Place at about 6:20 p.m. on November 27. Haider was catapulted from the roadway, came to rest in the woods next to the public sidewalk, and was found at 9:40 a.m. the next morning.

Multiple Volvo parts were found at the scene, enabling detectives to determine the make and model of the car that hit the bicyclist. The Volvo was located on November 30 after a citizen reported seeing a vehicle matching the description in a bulletin issued by GPD. An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped the Volvo for a traffic violation, and the driver identified Walker as the owner of the Volvo.

Post Miranda, the driver said Walker had asked him to take the Volvo to a body shop to repair the damage from the crash. He said Walker told him she had hit a sign on S. Main Street.

Walker turned herself in on January 11, 2023. Post Miranda, she reportedly said she was driving the Volvo on November 27 and that she had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages at multiple locations on that date. She reportedly said she felt “tipsy” when she left the last location, to the extent that her normal faculties were impaired; she said the crash happened when she looked down to adjust the music and that she stopped to check her vehicle but thought she had hit a sign. She reportedly said she didn’t report the crash because she didn’t want points on her driver’s license. She was released on $100,000 bail.

Walker was previously convicted of misdemeanor DUI in 2013 in another county.

On June 2, 2025, Walker entered a plea of nolo contendere to DUI manslaughter with a sentence of eight years in prison, followed by three years of probation, and permanent driver’s license revocation. As part of the agreement, a hit and run charge was dropped. According to the plea document, the maximum sentence for the charge is 15 years in prison. Judge William E. Davis signed the plea agreement and sentencing document.