Angel Husband Jean Marie Coquillon says the illegal alien accused of killing his wife in a hit-and-run crash “could have saved” her life if he had stopped and helped her out of her burning vehicle.
Juan Leonardo Parra Altamirano, a 33-year-old illegal alien from Ecuador, was arrested and charged last week for allegedly causing a deadly crash that left 46-year-old Erpharo Gilbert — a legal immigrant from Haiti — burning to death in her vehicle.
Instead of stopping, police allege Altamirano fled the scene. Altamirano’s attorneys claim he fled because he knew he was illegally in the United States and ran the risk of arrest and deportation as a result.
Angel Husband Jean Marie Coquillon told CBS Boston that Altamirano could have stopped at the scene and helped save Gilbert from her burning vehicle but fled instead.
“It was a big mistake for him,” Coquillon said. “He could have saved my wife’s life, but he didn’t choose to.”
Coquillon and Gilbert’s five-year-old son continues to look for his mother to come home, the Angel Husband told NBC Boston:
Jean Marie Coquillon of Raynham is reeling from the loss of his wife, Erpharo Gilbert, and worried about the couple’s 5-year-old son.
“He’s still waiting for his mom to come home,” said Coquillon. “Always at the window, looking, when he sees a black Honda, he knows that’s his mom.”
Ultimately, Coquillon said he believes Altamirano will be convicted for killing Gilbert in the crash and “pay for what he did” while praying that his wife rests in peace.
Reports indicate that Altamirano recently arrived in the U.S., suggesting the illegal alien may have crossed the southern border — as millions have — sometime in the last year under President Joe Biden’s administration.
According to police, on April 3, Altamirano was driving northbound on Route 24 when he switched lanes and hit Gilbert’s Honda Accord — sending her to crash into the median’s concrete barrier. Meanwhile, police said Altamirano fled the scene.
Gilbert’s Honda Accord was again struck by a pickup truck in the midst of the crash and caught fire. Gilbert was trapped inside the vehicle and died at the scene. Eyewitnesses said Altamirano was seemingly drunk when he briefly stopped at the scene of the crash before allegedly fleeing.
Altamirano is being held in Plymouth County Jail on a $100,000 bail. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has issued a detainer for Altamirano so that if he is released from local police custody at any time, he will be turned over to agents for arrest and deportation.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.