BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY: An ex-police officer from New Jersey, who admitted to mowing down and killing a pedestrian with his automobile while intoxicated, has been sentenced to five years in prison, per Law&Crime. The 26-year-old former cop, Luis Santiago, also reportedly admitted to fleeing the scene, returning to take the victim's body and taking it home home before coming back at another time to return the body.
Superior Court Judge Ronald D Wigler passed sentenced Santiago to five years in state prison on Wednesday, August 2, for the 2021 murder of 29-year-old nurse Damian Z Dymka. Santiago's father, Luis, who is a former cop too, was reportedly sentenced to two years of probation after entering a guilty plea to hindering the administration of justice.
Who is Luis Santiago?
Santiago, 26, pled guilty to charges related to an accident on the Garden State Parkway on November 1 that killed Dymka. Santiago ran over and killed Dymka while the latter was walking on a shoulder of Garden State Parkway in Bloomfield at 3 am, reported NBC New York. However, instead of calling 911, the convict drove home, spoke to his parents before coming back to pick up Dymka's body. Later, Luis went to the scene and called 911 after a "significant delay." Then Santiago rushed back to the scene with Dymka's body just as cops arrived and found the nurse's body in the car.
Santiago made an agreement with prosecutors and pled guilty to one count of reckless vehicular homicide, one count of desecrating human remains and one count of official misconduct. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the remaining 13 charges against him. Wigler sentenced the ex-cop to five years in prison on each count, with the terms to be served concurrently. The former officer also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, for which he received a 30-day sentence, as per Law&Crime. He must also complete three years of post-release monitoring in addition to his prison sentence and is not permitted to work for the public sector.
Luis, a former lieutenant of the Newark Police Department, lied to investigators when asked about what happened the night of the deadly collision. Santiago's mother was first charged with assisting her son when he carried Dymka's body to her house, but a grand jury declined to prosecute her and the charges were later dismissed.
'I didn’t mean this'
Santiago reportedly apologized to the court before he was sentenced. "I know nothing I say will ease the suffering, but I am truly sorry. I didn’t mean this," he said, as per a report from CBS News. In response, Dymka's father, Andrzej, said, "I truly forgive, because accidents can happen for every single one of us. But after the accident, you grab the cellphone, 911 call … and (say) ‘Please help.' You have a chance to fix your life. I will cross my fingers for you."
