"A woman who, while driving and texting, killed a 21-year-old bicyclist and then fled the scene is scheduled to be released after serving less than a third of her nine-year sentence. The victim's mother is livid. "How can you do this, be a repeat offender, kill somebody and serve two and a half years of a nine-year sentence?" said Kellie Montalvo, referencing the offender's time in custody after being sentenced. "It's completely outrageous to us.""
"Montalvo recently received a letter from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, reviewed by The Times, informing her that Neomi Velado, the now-28-year-old woman who killed her son Benjamin, is scheduled to be released Saturday. The CDCR said in a statement that Velado's earliest possible release date is the month of February. They said this date was determined based on credits for good conduct and for 124 days served in custody prior to entering CDCR."
"Velado was texting her boyfriend when she ran into Benjamin Montalvo with her car on June 11, 2020, while he was biking in Corona. She had already been in four at-fault crashes, three of which involved her being distracted by her phone, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. In June 2023, she was convicted of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and felony hit and run causing death."
Neomi Velado, now 28, struck and killed 21-year-old bicyclist Benjamin Montalvo on June 11, 2020, while texting and then fled the scene. Velado had four prior at-fault crashes, three tied to phone distraction. She was convicted in June 2023 of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and felony hit-and-run causing death and received a nine-year sentence. Credits for good conduct and 124 days served in custody make her earliest release date in February, resulting in less than three years served. The victim's mother strongly objects and characterized the early release as outrageous.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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