A Centreville man has been indicted in Washington, D.C., in connection with the Sept. 15, 2003, hit-and-run death of a Leesburg woman. He is Juan Miguel Mendez, 23, and he's charged with negligent homicide.
The victim was Denise Marguerite Henderson, 50, and authorities say he allegedly struck her with his vehicle in the District — while she was a pedestrian in a crosswalk — and then ran over her body and drove away.
BUT THANKS to quick action by witnesses, Mendez, of 6767 Jenny Leigh Court in the Clifton Townes community, was soon captured. D.C. Metropolitan police charged him with negligent homicide, leaving after colliding (with injuries), no operator's permit and failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian.
Police say Mendez was driving a white, 2000 Chevrolet van southbound on Connecticut Avenue and L Street N.W., around 1:38 p.m., when the tragedy occurred. After the traffic light turned green for southbound traffic, say police, his vehicle reportedly entered the intersection and hit the woman while she was crossing eastbound within the south crosswalk.
Witnesses allegedly told police that, after striking the woman, Mendez reportedly sped up and ran over her. According to police, they said the vehicle then fled southbound on Connecticut Avenue and ran a red light at K Street N.W. Although onlookers were initially stunned by the spectacle, they quickly recovered and pursued the van on foot and by bicycle. With help from the police, they eventually blocked it in and forced it to stop at 12th and E Street N.W.
HENDERSON — who worked just a few blocks away from the accident scene and was on her lunch break, at the time — was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, but died, shortly afterward. (She was a legal transcriptionist at Beta Reporting and Videography). She and her husband had lived in Leesburg since 1987.
As for Mendez, he appeared for his preliminary hearing, Sept. 24, in D.C. Superior Court before Judge Ann O'Regan Keary. He was then released into his brother's custody and placed in the court's Intensive Supervision program.
Also that day, Mendez waived his right to a preliminary hearing and the charges against him were sent to the grand jury for possible indictment. However, because of the large volume of crimes in the District, he was not indicted until recently, on March 23.
He was then arraigned last Friday, April 2, but isn't slated to be in court again until next month. Monty Wilkinson with the U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday that Mendez is scheduled for a status hearing, May 21, with Judge Keary. As of now, though, no trial date has been set.