The grandmother and girlfriend of a man charged with killing a pedestrian during a Midtown hit-and-run collision earlier this month now stand accused of helping him conceal the crime.
Quinton Molinar, 20, was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, leaving the scene of an injury accident and tampering with physical evidence. The charges stem from the Sept. 5 morning death of 71-year-old James William Hawke Jr., according to a statement from Anchorage District Attorney Clint Campion.
"The grand jury also indicted 70-year-old Juana Molinar and 21-year-old Louisee Duron Smith for tampering with physical evidence following the fatal collision," Campion wrote.
Anchorage police say Hawke, a retired federal employee known for walking around town, was in a crosswalk across Northern Lights Boulevard and the New Seward Highway when Quinton Molinar struck him and ran a red light headed west on Northern Lights. Police said Quinton told investigators he felt a faint pulse in Hawke after the collision, but removed him from his windshield and drove away; Hawke died at the scene.
Campion said Friday that Quinton's mother Felicidad Sails, who was a passenger in Quinton's car during the crash, was not charged in the case. Sails had previously told police that she and her son had been picking up a pizza at the time of the collision. Police said her breath smelled of alcohol when they spoke with her, but she said she didn't know whether Quinton was drunk at the time.
"We did not pursue charges against her," Campion said. "She actually testified at the grand jury."
The evidence-tampering charges against the three defendants are based on actions allegedly taken when Quinton drove home after the collision. Police said he admitted to covering his car with a tarp and throwing away his clothes.
Campion said Friday that little information was available about the charges against Smith and Juana Molinar, but that investigators had at least partially recovered the evidence.
"Our theory of the prosecution is that upon return to his residence, we've alleged that those two women helped him conceal or remove evidence," Campion said. "We've got some, but I don't know that we've got all of it."
If convicted on the murder charge, Quinton faces a maximum sentence of 99 years, while Juana Molinar and Smith face maximum five-year prison terms.
All three defendants will be arraigned Tuesday, Campion said.