Complaint: Driver in deadly crash smoked pot
Suspect said he was passenger; 2 victims listed as ‘satisfactory’
The man driving the stolen pickup truck that rammed into a car, killing two University of New Mexico students late Friday, had been smoking marijuana, according to a criminal complaint.
Joshua Dominic Leal, 21, reeked of marijuana and a “green leafy substance” was found in his pocket, according to police. He admitted smoking marijuana, according to the complaint, but denied being the driver and said it was his passenger Miguel Hernandez, 16, who also denied being the driver.
But police noted that Leal had seatbelt marks on the left side of his body, which would indicate he was in the driver’s seat. They also found a stolen black handgun on the floor under the steering wheel.
Briana Hillard and Matt Grant were killed near midnight when the blue four-door Chevy truck driven by Leal slammed into the driver’s side of Hillard’s car in the 800 block of Rio Grande NW, flipping the car onto its roof. She died at the scene, and Grant died later that night, police said.
Julia Thompson and Joseph Mendoza, who were also passengers in the car, suffered head injuries and were transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital. UNMH spokeswoman
Furhana Afrid said Sunday evening that both were in satisfactory condition.
The pickup had been heading north on Rio Grande “at a high rate of speed,” as described by an officer who made a U-turn after it, then came upon the scene of the crash. Leal and Hernandez had run off and were found with the help of police dogs.
Hernandez is at the Juvenile Detention Center and is scheduled to appear before a judge either today or Tuesday. Leal is charged with vehicular homicide as well as auto theft, tampering with evidence — removing the license plate on the stolen truck — and larceny in the theft of a firearm. He is in the Metropolitan Detention Center on a $750,000 bond.
Court records show that Leal, whose driver’s license had been suspended by Motor Vehicles Division, has a history of violations.
In May 2011, he was charged with failure to stop after an accident that damaged another vehicle. He has also been cited for driving with no insurance, not having a valid license, battery, criminal damage to property and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle.
According to the complaint, Leal told police that he often drives stolen vehicles.
Hillard and Thompson were members of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority but UNM spokeswoman Dianne Anderson said the sorority members did not wish to speak to the news media and were directing all calls to their headquarters in Missouri.
“They have asked for privacy and that they not be bothered,” she said.
A message left at Pi Beta Phi headquarters Sunday was not returned.
According to Hillard’s Facebook page, she graduated from Sandia High. A post on her page from former high school classmate Hallie Hankinson Bratton called the crash a terrible tragedy and said, “I’m so sorry for your family and friends. You were always so kind and nice, to everyone. You were a good one!”
Grant, according to his Facebook page, graduated from La Cueva High School. His brother Josiah Evans posted a photo of Grant sitting atop a green dinosaur, his hand at a salute, staring off into the distance. Evans said the photo “embodies his (Grant’s) spirit. I love you and miss you bro.”
According to the UNM student directory, Hillard was a student in the Anderson Schools of Management and Grant and Thompson were enrolled in the college of arts and sciences. No information was available on Mendoza.