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Suspect in double fatal hit-and-run gets $25K bond after turning self in

PINE HILLS, Fla. — A man allegedly involved in a hit-and-run crash that left two women dead in Pine Hills earlier this month appeared before a judge Tuesday, who gave him a bail amount of $25,000.

Brye Jenkins, 23, turned himself in to authorities on Monday.

Investigators said the driver of a black SUV ran a red light and slammed into a Toyota, killing Veronica Williams, 53, and her friend Bessie Anderson, 78, on June 1.

According to Florida Highway Patrol troopers, the hit-and-run driver was 23-year-old Jenkins, who was identified a few days after the accident.

Pastor Jake Stovall said weeks after the incident, Jenkins called him.

"When I got the call, I told him, I said, 'The right thing to do is to turn yourself in.' I said, 'You cannot run,'" said Stovall.

Members of the victims' families told Channel 9 they were relieved to hear the driver had been identified.

"I just had relief in my chest. It's like something just moved," said Anderson's daughter, Barbara Rosetta.

"It doesn't bring my wife back, but we need some justice on this also," said Williams' husband, James Williams.

Troopers said it was Jenkins who ran from the scene after slamming into Veronica Williams' vehicle.

The women, who were neighbors, were headed to the store at the time of the crash.

FHP troopers said Jenkins' girlfriend, Shane Joseph, was with him in the SUV and initially denied knowing him. She was arrested and charged with obstructing justice and perjury.

Detectives told WFTV that Joseph's lies hindered their hit-and-run investigation.

Jenkins will be charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident with death.