Centreville's Juan Miguel Mendez is no longer being held in the Washington, D.C. jail. But the negligent-homicide case against him is moving forward in the legal system.
Mendez, 23, is accused of causing the death of a 50-year-old Leesburg woman, Sept. 15, in the District. Authorities there say he allegedly struck her with his vehicle, ran over her body and kept driving.
But he was soon apprehended, and D.C. Metropolitan police charged Mendez, of 6767 Jenny Leigh Court in the Clifton Townes community, with negligent homicide, leaving after colliding (with injuries), no operator's permit and failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian.
ACCORDING TO POLICE, Mendez was driving a white, 2000 Chevrolet van southbound on Connecticut Avenue and L Street NW, around 1:38 p.m., when the tragedy occurred. They say that, after the traffic light turned green for southbound traffic, his vehicle entered the intersection and hit the victim while she was crossing eastbound within the south crosswalk.
Witnesses reportedly told police that, after striking the woman, Mendez allegedly sped up and ran over her before fleeing at a high rate of speed, southbound on Connecticut Avenue, and running a red light at K Street NW. Meanwhile, stunned onlookers took action, chasing after the van on foot and by bicycle, and eventually — with police help — blocking it in and forcing it to stop at 12th and E Street NW.
The victim, Denise Marguerite Henderson, was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where she died, a short time later. She worked as a legal transcriptionist at Beta Reporting and Videography, just a few blocks away from the accident site; she was on her lunch break. Originally from Long Island, N.Y., she resided in Upper Darby, Pa., prior to her 1987 move to Leesburg. She's survived by her husband, father and four brothers.
Meanwhile, Mendez appeared Sept. 24 in D.C. Superior Court for his preliminary hearing before Judge Ann O'Regan Keary. "He was released into his brother's custody and placed in the court's Intensive Supervision program," said Channing Phillips, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington.
At the same time, the charges against Mendez were sent to the grand jury for possible indictment. However, because of the large volume of crimes in the District, that may not be for some time.
"The grand jury probably won't consider his case for two or three months," said Phillips. "His trial will probably be in early 2004."