ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol said it believes it has the evidence to convict an Orlando teenager in a July crash that killed a stranded motorist.
Bruce Kuiper, 58, was killed as he and his wife were working on their stalled car.
The teenager, Jonathan Marsh, 17, was in court Tuesday for a hearing on two traffic tickets related to the crash, but the hearing was called off.
The victim’s widow was in the courtroom.
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Troopers said Marsh could soon be charged with a felony, and the judge decided to hold off to possibly consolidate the traffic case with the criminal case.
Marsh was arrested two days after the fatal crash.
Troopers said he was behind the wheel of an SUV that fled after causing a chain reaction crash that left Kuiper dead.
Troopers said as they were zeroing in on a red Pathfinder in the owner’s driveway, about 4 miles from the scene, Marsh called a lawyer.
The state has not yet officially charged the 17-year-old with a felony for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident with death or serious injury.
Troopers said they're sending their case to the state and believe there is enough evidence for the state to prosecute Marsh.
Marsh's lawyer indicated he had heard the same thing, but still tried to get the tickets thrown out.
“Judge, at this time, we would move to dismiss both infractions on the basis that it's not possible to establish through testimony or evidence who the driver of the vehicle was,” said attorney Luis Calderon.
Troopers said Kuiper and a good Samaritan were waiting for a tow truck on Lake Underhill Road near Deerwood Avenue when Marsh passed by, then backed up, likely at a high rate of speed.
Troopers said the SUV crashed into Kuiper's car, which then knocked Kuiper to the ground.
FHP plans to send its investigative report to the state attorney's office in the next week or so, and then the state will decide whether to move forward with the felony charge.
FHP believes it knows more about why Marsh backed up in the first place, but would not disclose that information to Channel 9.
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