Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Yesterday an Alachua County jury found Jaileen Damaris Pagan, 27, guilty of vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, and driving without a valid license in connection with the death of Garry Pugh in a Butler Plaza parking lot on September 15, 2023.

Pagan was arrested after the Gainesville Police Department circulated a picture of the car that was suspected of hitting Pugh; a Loss Prevention Officer at Walmart had just made a note of the tag in connection with two people who allegedly took a number of items without paying and drove away after he confronted them, and the vehicle was later found to be owned by Pagan.

Assistant State Attorneys David Margulies and Cameron Life led the prosecution team, and Judge James Colaw presided over the trial, which lasted three days. The jury deliberated for over two hours before reaching a verdict. Pagan will be sentenced on September 13 and faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison.

Pagan is still facing charges in three other cases, including an incident in which she allegedly shot at several people, a drug possession charge, and a fleeing charge.