Dene Blakely, 39, on Dec. 8, 2023, allegedly ran over a woman whom she suspected had stolen a package from her home in San Pablo, California. The woman died on the following Dec. 23, and prosecutors charged Blakely with murder (San Pablo Police Department via KRON)
Prosecutors in California charged a 39-year-old woman with murder after she tracked down a suspected package thief and fatally struck the victim with her car.
The San Pablo Police Department said Saturday in a press release the incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 8. Officers responded to the 1100 block of Broadway Avenue for a crash between a vehicle and a pedestrian. They found the 60-year-old pedestrian with “major injuries.” First responders transported the victim to the hospital where she was listed in critical condition and underwent surgery.
Cops “quickly learned” the driver was 39-year-old Dene Blakely who had been in an argument with the victim over theft of packages, the press release said.
“The suspect believed to recognize the victim as someone who had previously stolen a package from her residence, and confronted the victim as she walked in the 1100 block of Broadway Avenue,” cops wrote.
That’s when Blakely allegedly ran over the victim in “an intentional act of assault,” police said. The press release did not say whether the victim actually stole any packages or if it was a case of mistaken identity. Cops arrested Blakely on scene and on Dec. 12 the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged her with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
The victim, who police have not publicly identified, died on Dec. 23 and prosecutors upgraded the charges to murder on Friday. A judge arraigned Blakely on the amended charges and gave her a $1 million bond, records show. Blakely remains at the Contra Costa County Jail. Her next court date is scheduled for Jan. 30.
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