Driver charged with death of woman who fell onto 5 Freeway
More than two months ago, police say, Martha Rodenzo, 51, walked away upset from a family gathering in Mission Viejo. Hours later, CHP officers found her body on a freeway in Santa Ana.
A witness had seen her fall out of a truck, while the driver kept going.
Prosecutors have now charged the driver with felony hit and run driving for leaving the scene of the incident and failing to report it to police.
Jaqwun Laerin Turner, 33, of Hawthorne, is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court, prosecutors announced in a news release.
Prosecutors say Rodenzo met Turner in the early morning hours of Dec. 8 at a gas station, not far from the family gathering.
He offered her a ride but at some point, as they headed north on the 5 Freeway, Rodenzo opened the door and fell out of the truck while Turner kept going, prosecutors said.
Rodenzo died from her injuries.
Turner faces up to four years in state prison if convicted. He is currently free on $50,000 bail.
Twitter: @PalomaEsquivel
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