MIAMI – A Miami man accused of killing a great-grandmother in a hit-and-run crash faced a judge Thursday, one day after his arrest. In court, his attorney claimed that he did not know he had hit the victim.
Police said Rodrick Davis, 33, hit and killed 76-year-old Koritza Ortiz in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood at around 8:10 a.m. Monday and kept on driving.
Ortiz had been going out to buy lemons that morning, her family members said.
The crash happened at Northwest Seventh Avenue and 60th Street, not far from Davis’ home, where he would ultimately be arrested on a charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving death.
In court Thursday, an attorney representing Davis asked Judge Mindy Glazer to find no probable cause for that charge.
Davis “believed that he ended up hitting a pile of trash and did not know that he had hit the alleged victim,” his attorney said.
“That would be his defense, but there’s clearly probable cause,” prosecutor Nessa Eth countered.
Glazer ultimately found probable cause.
“Just so it’s clear, he was traveling at a high rate of speed,” Glazer said.
Eth asked Glazer to set Davis’ bond at $25,000, while his attorney asked for a $15,000 bond, saying he “does not have the funds” to cover the higher amount.
Glazer sided with Eth.
“If you’re unable to post a $25,000 bond you can go and have your lawyer readdress the bond amount before the division judge,” Glazer said. “Good day, sir.”