The suspect who allegedly killed an elderly woman in a hit-and-run crash in Cambridge was ordered to surrender her license at her arraignment on Friday.
Ashley Monturio, 41, of Pembroke, Massachusetts was charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death after she allegedly struck 80-year-old Romelia Gallardo with her SUV on Thursday.
The crash occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Cambridge Housing Authority building on Erie Street, according to police. Gallardo had been pushing a "wheeled walker" to walk across the parking lot when Monturio allegedly hit her.
Gallardo suffered serious injuries and was rushed to Cambridge Hospital, where she later died.
Investigators said Monturio called 911 after the crash to report that a woman was laying on the ground and said she did not know what happened. Emergency responders asked her to stay but Monturio said she couldn't because she had a job interview.
A few hours later, Monturio turned herself in.
The fact that she was released without bail following her arraignment Friday upset Gallardo's family members.
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"Why was there no bail? There's no justice over here," said Jose Mazariegos, one of Gallardo's family members. "So I can just run over somebody right now, call the police and just leave and that's it? And just be at court tomorrow and just catch bail for like 40 bucks? Is that right?"
A growing memorial for the victim rests as a somber reminder of the tragedy. Gallardo's friends and neighbors say she was a kind woman who was beloved.
"She was a wonderful woman," Gallardo's neighbor, Karen Davis, said. "She was strong-willed. I tried to get her to stay in once and a while but she never would. She was determined to go shopping."
Another neighbor, Susan Batista, said the tragedy is hard to understand.
"She's a sweet, little old lady that lives on the third floor," Batista said. "It's awful. How can somebody hit somebody and just take off? I don’t get it."
Patrick Reddington, Monturio's defense attorney, said his client has no prior criminal record.
"We are deeply saddened for the family," Reddington said. "Other than that, we have to let justice play out."
