Rosali Fernandez-Cruz, a 27-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was sentenced to one year in prison for a hit-and-run crash that killed Nathaniel Baker, a 21-year-old University of South Carolina junior, in April. The incident occurred in Columbia, South Carolina, when Fernandez-Cruz struck Baker, who was riding a motorcycle, and fled the scene. Fernandez-Cruz, who had previously been deported to El Salvador in 2018, was wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before the accident. The case has sparked discussions about immigration enforcement and the legal consequences for those who commit crimes in the U.S., despite their immigration status.
Baker, a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, was a junior at the University of South Carolina. The victim’s family expressed forgiveness and did not want the case to become politicized. Robert Kittle, communications director for the state attorney general’s office, noted that Baker’s family was consulted about the sentence before it was imposed. They were in agreement with the guilty plea and sentence. Fernandez-Cruz’s sentence was imposed after he pleaded guilty to hit-and-run resulting in death, the most serious charge against him. The judge decided the sentence, which was one year. There was no plea agreement, and prosecutors informed the judge of other traffic-related charges against Fernandez-Cruz.
Fernandez-Cruz was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in Hidalgo, Texas, on Dec. 24, 2016, and was ordered deported to El Salvador on Sept. 6, 2018. After his release, he will be taken into ICE custody to begin deportation proceedings. The case has also been linked to broader concerns about illegal immigrants being involved in fatal crashes, with multiple such incidents recently sparking arrests across the U.S. Despite the severity of the crime, Fernandez-Cruz received a relatively light sentence, which has drawn attention due to his immigration status and the family’s desire to avoid publicizing the case.