Justine Abshire, who was apparently killed in a staged hit-and-run, by her husband
An ongoing collection of unsolved hit-and-run cases, with a focus on car/pedestrian incidents, from across the country since Jan. ‘010. If you know something about any of these incidents, or one that I’ve missed, do the right thing and call the police, even anonymously.
If you’re looking a worthy cause to give a Christmas gift, might I suggest the Justine Abshire Memorial Fund which will “support educational initiatives for Kindergarten teachers and students.”
Justine Abshire Memorial
PO Box 22543
Philadelphia, PA 19110 …
Virginia State Police have arrested the husband of a 27-year-old kindergarten teacher who was killed in 2006.
Eric Abshire, 36, of Greene County, was arrested Friday in Culpeper County in connection with the slaying of his wife, Justine Elizabeth Abshire. He is charged with first-degree murder and perjury and he is being held without bond at Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange.
In the early morning hours of Nov. 3, 2006, Virginia State Police Trooper B.J. Hobbs was called to the scene of a reported fatal hit-and-run traffic accident on Taylorsville Road in Orange County. Justine Abshire, of Barboursville, was identified as the supposed victim of the hit-and-run.
Investigators quickly determined that Abshire’s death was suspicious, concluding that the accident had been staged.
1164. Roanoke, Va. Dec. 18. Two teenage boys injured when struck by a mint green Ford Aerostar minivan.
1165. Seekonk, Mass. Dec. 17. 18-year-old man struck and killed by a red Hyundai which didn’t stop. (Update)
1166-1168. White Plains, NY. Dec. 19. 23-year-old man in “extremely critical condition” at the Westchester Medical Center,” after being hit by a red or maroon car which fled. Two people who went into the street to help were then struck by a black car which also fled but was stoppped shortly thereafter.
1169. Houston. Dec. 18. 83-year-old woman struck and killed by a Cadillac, from which the driver ran. “Investigators say there had been a robbery nearby in the 45 minutes prior to the wreck and the driver may have been involved.”
1170. Winston-Salem, NC. Dec. 19. Man found suffering substantial injuries after being struck by an unidentified car.
1171. Wahiawa, Hawaii. Dec. 18. 18-year-old man riding a bicycle with friends struck and killed by an unknown white SUV which fled the scene. (Update)
1172. Miami. Dec. 19. 78-year-old man struck and killed. Police have no leads. “It’s very painful to hear that your father was hit by a car and that that car didn’t stop,” said a tearful Jacqueline Carrillo, the younger of Carrillo’s two grown daughters. “He didn’t deserve to die this way.”
1173. Chicago. Dec. 20. 17-year-old boy was struck and killed by what unconfirmed police dispatch reports indicate was a maroon Pontiac.
1174. Pasadena, Texas. Dec. 20. 13-year-old girl struck and killed by a silver or gray four-door car, possibly a Dodge Neon or Honda Civic, which fled the scene.
Witnesses said the driver initially stopped, then saw the girl in the road and took off.
“A coward does that,” said Daniel Hernandez, the victim’s brother-in-law. “Man up. Take responsibility for whatever you did.” (Video at bottom of post)
1175. Prairieville, La. Dec. 20. 22-year-old woman suffers life-threatening injuries when she was struck by either a silver Toyota 4-Runner or a silver Toyota Tacoma Pre-Runner, model years between 2003 and 2005, which fled.
Related stories:
And I quote (I)…
The Golden Glow woman who left the scene of an accident in which a teenage skateboarder was fatally injured this past summer in Elmira was sentenced Friday to one year in the county jail.
Ann C. Howe, 78, also had her driver’s license revoked by Chemung County Judge James Hayden.
And I quote (II)…
VISTA, Calif. — A motorist whose compact car struck and killed an 18-year-old Carlsbad High School senior pleaded guilty Friday to felony hit-and-run causing injury or death.
Lisa Hutchinson, 45, faces up to a year in jail and probation when she is sentenced Jan. 20 at the Vista Courthouse. Investigators from the Carlsbad Police Department determined that she was not at fault in the student’s death.
And I quote (III)…
BARSTOW • The Juan Pollo restaurant on East Main Street was damaged by a wayward car in a hit-and-run crash late Thursday night, the second time the eatery was the scene of a car crash in less than two years.
Barstow Police received a call reporting the crash at 11:19 p.m. The driver, Chris Marty, 22, fled on foot, said Barstow Police Sgt. Andy Espinoza Sr. Marty was later apprehended by police at the 200 block of Woodham Drive at 1:39 a.m.
And I quote (IV)…
DENVER — Laurie Gorham was released from the hospital more than a week after she was the victim of a hit and run accident that killed her unborn son.
Denver police are still examining an SUV that fits the description of one that hit her and took off.
And I quote (V)…
DUCK, N.C. She hadn’t been here long, just enough to see two summers pass on the Outer Banks. But there aren’t many people in Duck who wouldn’t recognize Janna Brannan.
“Janna was a walker. She walked nearly every day of the week, twice a day,” her husband, Boyd Brannan, said. “Everybody could just about set their watch by it.”
That all changed the evening of Oct. 13.
As was her routine, Janna and the family dog set out for their evening walk that Wednesday. She was wearing a cream-colored long-sleeved shirt and pink shorts. Dusk was just settling over the Outer Banks.
Police believe that a driver traveling west at about 25 mph hit Brannan, killing her instantly about 100 feet from the driveway of her home on Cook Drive. The identity of the driver, who did not stay at the scene, remains a mystery.
And I quote (VI)…
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) – An argument turned violent Friday evening when three women were struck by a vehicle. Jackson police are now on the hunt for the hit and run driver.
And I quote (VII)…
A firefighter suspected in a deadly hit-and-run in Brooklyn was charged with the crime Tuesday and prosecutors revealed his cop brother took him to a firehouse after the crash.
Pat Quagliariello, 39, charged with running down Guatemalan immigrant Manuel Tzajguachiac, was arraigned Tuesday.
“He was texting and speeding when he struck the pedestrian,” Craig Esswein, a prosecutor, told the judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
And I quote (VIII) …
A man wanted for questioning in a fatal hit-and-run accident March 27 near Hartford Hospital was arrested Monday on unrelated warrants, police said.
And I quote (IX)…
BRIDGETON — The Millville man charged with fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle accident in which a Newfield resident was killed is now additionally accused of attempting to cover up the alleged crime by placing deer meat on his car.
Caught, convicted, court appearance or car-on-car in … Aurora, Colo.; Thomasville, NC; San Angelo, Texas; South Whitehall Twp., Pa.; Evansville, Ind.; Ogden, Utah; Milwaukee, Wisc.; Methuen, Mass.; Asheville, NC; Hermiston, Oreg.; Burlington, NC; Exeter, Pa.; Lebanon Twp., NJ;
Calgary
(Update)
More hit-and-run stories, including every volume of Hit-and-Run America (in reverse order), are accessible from this linked page. (The full Volume-by-Volume list will appear sporadically from now on.)