CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — This week, Jose Gonzalez Flores, a man who had previously been convicted of killing a four-year-old boy in a 2018 hit-and-run crash was sentenced to four years in prison after he illegally reentered the United States from his native Guatemala.
8News spoke with long time Chesterfield resident Vivian Brown, who says every times she drives near the intersection of Belmont Road and Sue Jean Drive, she is reminded of the tragic scene on Aug. 25, 2018, when the Camacho family was hit by Gonzalez Flores.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Brown. “I remember the traffic around this area right here. And then the lady screamed out, you know, ‘That’s my son. That’s my nephew.’”
According to police, Gonzalez Flores was driving a Dodge Ram truck near the intersection when he hit the family’s Toyota Camry from behind. Gonzalez Flores reportedly left the scene after crashing into the family of four.
Three members of the family were left with injuries and 4-year-old Elias Camacho later died.
“It was a really sad situation,” said Brown. “You could tell someone had lost their life and they used to put an array of ribbons and like a salute ribbon around a tree that stopped. But every time I go past this area, I remember that’s where the little boy passed.”
According to the Department of Justice, Gonzalez Flores was arrested and later convicted of involuntary manslaughter and drug possession in April 2019.
He was ordered not to reenter the country without admission inspection or parole. This week, the department announced that he broke that agreement and was sentenced to four years in prison.
