(Photo of Donna Fife. She will not be forgotten.)
Richard Delgado, the 19-year old admitted gang member who ran over Donna Fife on Monday night was formally charged with her murder today (January 22). He is being held without bail.
According to San José Police Department investigator’s notes, Delgado glared at Fife as she wrote down his auto license number and yelled, “I’m going to get you” before driving a Honda Civic over her.
Due to that remark, Delgado could face life in prison because the crime was premeditated.
He will next appear in Santa Clara County Superior Court on January 29 when he is expected to offer a plea.
Condolences to Donna's family. It is double-tragic when a person dies while trying to do the right thing in keeping her neighborhood safe. Hopefully the SJPD and the Santa Clara County court system will do the right thing by Donna, and that Richard Delgado gets his just desserts.
San Jose Mercury News diagram of crime scene
Court document: San Jose man yelled 'I'm gonna get you' before running over neighbor
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5 comments:
Donna Fife was my dear cousin. Please pray for justice to be done in her honor and memory.
Anonymous, I am doing just that. God bless your family and may He give you strength during this time, and into the no doubt long legal process to come.
I chose to cover this story because it just illustrates what is happening all over the U.S.—no personal responsibility, just do it if it feels good, consequences be damned. Too many parents or parental figures don't instill any sort of values or empathy into their kids. And of course the police being utterly powerless (were they really?) to do anything about the menace that is Richard Delgado... they do share some of the blame.
This isn't a white versus Hispanic story and I am happy that thus far the local media hasn't grabbed that angle. Knowing how things go here in SJ, I am sure it's coming.
Donna's neighborhood is a lesser place without her.
I hope to continue to do the right thing by her memory by covering this tragedy here at T & T. I would like to include Donna's photo when I am able to acquire an image. I don't want her to be the forgotten person in this whole incident.
Thank you for covering this, CaliGirl9. I was absolutely HORRIFIED when I read about it in the Mercury! Then some of his relatives came on in the comments section to defend him and talk about what a nice, kind person he is, which just made me SICK!
SS, the Merc also pulled those comments down faster than I could save them! His family's comments were quite amusing. Those people are utterly clueless.
It's kind of funny how family members of perps use the Merc's forum to explain that the whole horrible incident is just a misunderstanding, that so-and-so is a good person. Same thing happened with the Breanna Slaughter-Eck case last June—the illegal alien driver, Adriana Fierro De Marin, was a good person too!
Nevermind that good person was breaking the law by driving without a license, just like Richard Delgado.
Thank God Donna Fife's neighbors spoke up and told the truth about what they saw that night. There is simply no way that this crime is a misdemeanor, which is what the driver who ran over Breanna was ultimately charged with. Nor is it a case of vehicular manslaughter ... though I can anticipate some defense attorney dragging in a psychiatrist or psychologist to testify that Delgado couldn't possibly understand the consequences of running someone over. Young men are impulsive, you know!
As you can see, I found a photo of Donna Fife and I hope it's all right with her family that I am using it. She should not be forgotten in all of this.
CaliGirl,
Thank you for bringing this case to our attention.
As a former teacher, I am so frustrated with parents who cover up for their children's "mistakes."
This was a deliberate, malicious act at should be charged as such.
To Donna Fife's cousin, my heartfelt sympathies and my hope for justice for her.
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