A Northern Virginia man pleaded guilty on Monday to hitting and killing a father while driving drunk and running away from the crash – but the moment did not bring as much closure as it could have to the victim’s family.
They said the day comes after years of painful and aggravating legal missteps.
Prosecutors said Carlos Alexander Torres Jr., 26, was driving under the influence and speeding down Fairfax County Parkway in September 2021 when he swerved around cars stopped at a red light.
Andrew Willingham, 37, was coming home from his job as a construction manager. He had the green arrow to turn left into his neighborhood when Torres T-boned his Volkswagen Passat, authorities said.
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“A lot of hurdles and bumps, and we never imagined it would come down to this," the victim’s sister, Erin Meleney, said.
Torres initially faced harsher charges, but at trial, the prosecution asked its key witness to identify the person they saw leaving the deadly crash. While doing so, Torres' family said the prosecutor gestured toward him, and the judge declared a mistrial.
“Because of the mistrial, the key witness was excluded from testifying," Meleney said.
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With the key witness off the table, prosecutors offered Torres a plea agreement. They amended his charges and capped his possible jail time to six years, when he could have faced a maximum of 20 years.
“No time would've been enough. It's been a really, really hard and drawn-out and really tough process legally,” Meleney said.
Meleney’s fight for justice for her brother continues, all while she and her husband are raising two young girls and are expecting a third child this summer, a baby boy.
They haven't decided on a first name yet, but his middle name will be Andrew.
“Trying to keep his name alive as much as we can is just what all of us want to do,” Meleney said.
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The judicial process will drag out just a bit longer, while the family waits for the sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for mid-August.
Willingham is survived by his wife and two children.
News4 asked the defense attorney for Torres for a comment. They did not offer any response.
