Title: Fort Worth Hit & Run
Post by: nolalady on March 08, 2002, 02:01:52 pm
Woman charged after gruesome hit-and-run
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A woman accused of hitting a homeless man with her car, driving home with him lodged in her broken windshield and ignoring his pleas as he bled to death in her garage is not the monster being portrayed by prosecutors, her attorney says.
Police say Chante J. Mallard, 25, waited two days for the man to die, ignoring his pleas for help, and then dumped his body in a park with the help of friends.
Mallard was charged with murder Wednesday night and released after posting bail. She faces five years to life in prison if convicted.
"She is not the monster that police and prosecutors are making her out to be," said Mike Heiskell, Mallard's attorney. "She was simply a frightened, emotionally distraught young woman who had an accident, panicked and made a wrong choice."
Heiskell said his client is guilty only of failing to stop and render aid — not murder.
He said the victim, Gregory Biggs, died a few hours after Mallard drove home and was in her garage no more than 24 hours. He said her friends advised her not to call for help and suggested dumping the body.
Biggs, whose body was found in a park on Oct. 27, suffered cuts and broken legs but had no internal injuries that would have caused his death, according to the medical examiner's office.
"There's a pretty good possibility he'd be alive if he'd gotten help, but she concealed the body in the garage ... so that's why she's charged with murder," said Fort Worth police Lt. David Burgess.
When Biggs' body was found, authorities suspected he had been hit by a car, but they had no leads until a tipster came forward last week.
Biggs, 37, had struggled with mental illness and had been staying at a homeless shelter, where workers said he often brought them flowers. He was estranged from his mother and sister. He also had a 19-year-old son who only recently found out about the tragic death, relatives said.
The son, Brandon Biggs, has questions for Mallard, but he says he isn't angry.
"I pray for her, actually," the high school senior told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Friday's editions.
"I'd just like to talk to her — just ask questions and see why, to get a better understanding I suppose," he said.
Police reported finding Biggs' blood and hair on Mallard's car, still in her garage more than four months after the crash. The windshield and front seats had been removed.
The tipster told police that Mallard said she was drinking and taking the drug Ecstasy one night in October when her car hit the man along a Fort Worth highway near her house.
The tipster said Mallard drove home, had sex with her boyfriend, then went back to the garage to find Biggs still alive, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Mallard later told investigators she apologized to the victim when she returned to the garage several times, but she never called for help as he moaned and pleaded with her, according to the affidavit.
"We intend to prosecute this fully," said Richard Alpert, a Tarrant County assistant district attorney.
Mallard told investigators she removed the car seats and burned them because she was afraid of being caught and going to jail, according to the affidavit. She planned to burn the car and buy another one after receiving her income tax refund, according to the affidavit.
Charges may be filed against the friends who helped dump Biggs' body, Burgess said.
Nola here - What in the world was she thinking? Hits a guy, drives home, has sex with her boyfriend, goes out and apologies several times to the guy stuck in her windshield and then waits for him to slowly die. My problem here is that she told several people what happened (some helped her dump the body), then bragged about it at a party - "bragged"!!!. This woman gives a new meaning to the word "inhumanity".
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A woman accused of hitting a homeless man with her car, driving home with him lodged in her broken windshield and ignoring his pleas as he bled to death in her garage is not the monster being portrayed by prosecutors, her attorney says.
Police say Chante J. Mallard, 25, waited two days for the man to die, ignoring his pleas for help, and then dumped his body in a park with the help of friends.
Mallard was charged with murder Wednesday night and released after posting bail. She faces five years to life in prison if convicted.
"She is not the monster that police and prosecutors are making her out to be," said Mike Heiskell, Mallard's attorney. "She was simply a frightened, emotionally distraught young woman who had an accident, panicked and made a wrong choice."
Heiskell said his client is guilty only of failing to stop and render aid — not murder.
He said the victim, Gregory Biggs, died a few hours after Mallard drove home and was in her garage no more than 24 hours. He said her friends advised her not to call for help and suggested dumping the body.
Biggs, whose body was found in a park on Oct. 27, suffered cuts and broken legs but had no internal injuries that would have caused his death, according to the medical examiner's office.
"There's a pretty good possibility he'd be alive if he'd gotten help, but she concealed the body in the garage ... so that's why she's charged with murder," said Fort Worth police Lt. David Burgess.
When Biggs' body was found, authorities suspected he had been hit by a car, but they had no leads until a tipster came forward last week.
Biggs, 37, had struggled with mental illness and had been staying at a homeless shelter, where workers said he often brought them flowers. He was estranged from his mother and sister. He also had a 19-year-old son who only recently found out about the tragic death, relatives said.
The son, Brandon Biggs, has questions for Mallard, but he says he isn't angry.
"I pray for her, actually," the high school senior told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Friday's editions.
"I'd just like to talk to her — just ask questions and see why, to get a better understanding I suppose," he said.
Police reported finding Biggs' blood and hair on Mallard's car, still in her garage more than four months after the crash. The windshield and front seats had been removed.
The tipster told police that Mallard said she was drinking and taking the drug Ecstasy one night in October when her car hit the man along a Fort Worth highway near her house.
The tipster said Mallard drove home, had sex with her boyfriend, then went back to the garage to find Biggs still alive, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Mallard later told investigators she apologized to the victim when she returned to the garage several times, but she never called for help as he moaned and pleaded with her, according to the affidavit.
"We intend to prosecute this fully," said Richard Alpert, a Tarrant County assistant district attorney.
Mallard told investigators she removed the car seats and burned them because she was afraid of being caught and going to jail, according to the affidavit. She planned to burn the car and buy another one after receiving her income tax refund, according to the affidavit.
Charges may be filed against the friends who helped dump Biggs' body, Burgess said.
Nola here - What in the world was she thinking? Hits a guy, drives home, has sex with her boyfriend, goes out and apologies several times to the guy stuck in her windshield and then waits for him to slowly die. My problem here is that she told several people what happened (some helped her dump the body), then bragged about it at a party - "bragged"!!!. This woman gives a new meaning to the word "inhumanity".
Title: Re: Fort Worth Hit & Run
Post by: jewels6567 on March 08, 2002, 03:01:56 pm
I just have one word - sick.
In my opinion she deserves a life sentence and her "friends" that helped need to be prosecuted too.
In my opinion she deserves a life sentence and her "friends" that helped need to be prosecuted too.
Title: Re: Fort Worth Hit & Run
Post by: blufire21 on March 08, 2002, 03:17:17 pm
I agree. My DH and I were talking about this last night. How could you not charger here with murder? Her lawyer's nuts!
Ellen in TX
Ellen in TX
Title: Re: Fort Worth Hit & Run
Post by: mlm668 on March 08, 2002, 03:24:21 pm
She made a bad decision? Give me a break. Letting this man stay stuck and suffering for any amount of time is not a bad decision. Its cruel and inhuman. If its not murder, then what is it? If he had fallen to the side of the road and died it would still be hit and run manslaughter - not "failing to stop and render aid" as her lawyer claims this is.
I read the story on AOL's news last night and it made me sick. This is the kind of world my children are inheriting? Makes me want to become something of a "mountain man" so they don't have to see how selfish people are these days.
Michelle
I read the story on AOL's news last night and it made me sick. This is the kind of world my children are inheriting? Makes me want to become something of a "mountain man" so they don't have to see how selfish people are these days.
Michelle
Title: Re: Fort Worth Hit & Run
Post by: laundryhater on March 08, 2002, 04:25:00 pm
What is wrong with people these days that they can't take responsibility for their actions??
This is the second case I've heard about in 2 months where someone did something stupid because they didn't want to own up to what happened. Last month a 16 year-old was sent to jail for murder. She supposedly didn't know she was pregnant until she gave birth in the bathtub was too scared to tell anyone so she strangled the newborn and dumped the body in a field. Later the court discovered the reason she was pregnant was because she had sex with a 28 year-old known sex offender who cheated on his wife with the teen.
These sick people need to be sent to prison for life because obviously they are too stupid and selfish to make rational decisions.
This is the second case I've heard about in 2 months where someone did something stupid because they didn't want to own up to what happened. Last month a 16 year-old was sent to jail for murder. She supposedly didn't know she was pregnant until she gave birth in the bathtub was too scared to tell anyone so she strangled the newborn and dumped the body in a field. Later the court discovered the reason she was pregnant was because she had sex with a 28 year-old known sex offender who cheated on his wife with the teen.
These sick people need to be sent to prison for life because obviously they are too stupid and selfish to make rational decisions.
Title: Re: Fort Worth Hit & Run
Post by: superninjaadmin on March 08, 2002, 07:34:14 pm
I'm shocked!
I'm sure that there are several people out there who would be willing to run that woman over, lodge her into their windshield and let her suffer a little while... Just so she can have a little taste of her own medicine.
How some people can think they can get away with or have the odacity to excuse their behavior with a spineless excuse of "failing to stop and render aid" - I'll never understand! What are these people thinking??
SNA
I'm sure that there are several people out there who would be willing to run that woman over, lodge her into their windshield and let her suffer a little while... Just so she can have a little taste of her own medicine.
How some people can think they can get away with or have the odacity to excuse their behavior with a spineless excuse of "failing to stop and render aid" - I'll never understand! What are these people thinking??
SNA
Title: Re: Fort Worth Hit & Run
Post by: donnap99 on March 08, 2002, 08:24:20 pm
SNA - I like your thinkin'!!!
I saw this last night, too... it's simply unbelievable. But last night I didn't hear this take on it (what her lawyer is saying) or that she had sex with her boyfriend and then went back out to the garage. I actually feel physically SICK!
DonnaP99
I saw this last night, too... it's simply unbelievable. But last night I didn't hear this take on it (what her lawyer is saying) or that she had sex with her boyfriend and then went back out to the garage. I actually feel physically SICK!
DonnaP99