A San Antonio woman who pleaded guilty last month in the 2019 hit-and-run death of a prominent San Antonio surgeon will learn her sentence on Tuesday.
The sentencing will be livestreamed in the video player at the top of this article.
Melissa Peoples entered the plea during a court hearing on Nov. 30. She agreed to a 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to intoxication manslaughter and pleading no contest to a charge of failure to stop and render aid.
Peoples fatally struck 58-year-old Dr. Naji Kayruz with her car on Feb. 4, 2019. Kayruz was riding his bicycle in the bike lane of an Interstate 10 access road when he was struck and killed near the Dominion.
Peoples drove off, but was later arrested after the crash at her home when witnesses helped lead police to her.
After her plea hearing, Peoples broke her nearly 3-year-slience to let her victim’s family know she is deeply remorseful.
“I would like to first and foremost say to the family how terribly sorry I am for all of this,” she said as she became emotional. “I would like for them to know I wasn’t partying. It wasn’t happy hour. I had two TABC investigations done and there was no restaurant or bar that I was at. No celebrating at all.”
Peoples said before the crash, she was dealing with a pressure cooker of a tumultuous week.
Duarte said Peoples had been drinking at the time her husband had kicked her out during an argument.
RELATED STORIES:
Woman charged in hit-and-run death of San Antonio surgeon asks court for her BMW backRecords show woman accused of hitting, killing cyclist had prior DWI arrestProminent San Antonio surgeon remembered as ‘amazing doctor, husband, father’