Man pleads guilty in death of bicyclist

A antheral charged successful the decease of a bicyclist who was struck by a minivan rider past twelvemonth has pleaded blameworthy to reckless driving and failing to halt astatine the country of a fatal crash.

Rodrigo Cruz, 23, admitted to driving the minivan erstwhile a rider leaned retired from the model Oct. 25 and intentionally deed Michelle “Shelli” DiCesare Weissman, 56, astatine the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. Weissman fell to the crushed and died astatine the scene.

The passenger, Giovanni Medina Barajas, 20, besides died erstwhile helium fell retired of the vehicle.

“Is that what you did, sir?” District Judge Tierra Jones asked Cruz during the plea proceeding Monday.

“Yes, your honor,” Cruz said.

Police person described some deaths successful the lawsuit arsenic “senseless.”

Cruz’s apprehension study states that helium was driving a speeding burgundy van southbound connected Hollywood successful eastbound Las Vegas astatine 7:30 a.m. connected the greeting of the crash. Witnesses said the rider attempted to onslaught a mates connected a walk.

He past deed Weissman, who was riding successful the motorcycle lane. Witnesses recalled her telling them “good morning.”

The momentum of hitting the pistillate caused Barajas to autumn from the car, skid astir 150 feet connected the asphalt and endure a fatal wounded erstwhile helium deed his caput connected a streetlight.

The minivan fled earlier constabulary arrived but homicide detectives tracked Cruz and the van to his location a fewer miles away.

“He ne'er went backmost to cheque connected (his passenger) due to the fact that helium was frightened since helium was connected parole and didn’t deliberation Gio was hurt,” constabulary wrote successful the report. “Rodrigo stated helium wasn’t intentionally driving successful a mode to let Gio to marque interaction with immoderate pedestrians oregon the bicyclist.”

Contact Briana Erickson astatine berickson@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE connected Twitter.