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Illegal Immigrant Sentenced In Deadly Hit & Run Crash

DENVER (CBS4)- The driver who struck and killed a young woman in downtown Denver last fall was sentenced on Friday.

Norlan Estrada Reyes was behind the wheel when he struck Karina Pulec at 13th and Broadway in October 2016. A friend she was walking with was also injured.

Norlan Estrada-Reyes
Norlan Estrada-Reyes (credit: Denver Police)

He pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident in June.

Karina Pulec
Karina Pulec (credit: CBS)

Estrada Reyes was identified as the driver after he crashed and then abandoned his white pickup truck just a few miles from the scene.

Karina Pulec
Karina Pulec (credit: Facebook)

Estrada Reyes, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, had been deported before, and was wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If he had been deported by ICE after the crash, there would have been no plea or sentencing.

truck
Norlan Estrada-Reyes is suspected of driving this truck in a deadly hit-and-run (credit: Denver Police)

"We worked very diligently with the federal authorities, with ICE, to ensure that he stayed here so that we could try him and get a conviction," said Williams.

A judge issued a $1 million bond that essentially kept Estrada Reyes behind bars during the court proceedings.

Estrada Reyes was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

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