Hit-and-run driver admits to killing Richland mom on dark Kennewick street

A Kennewick woman admitted to hitting and killing a pedestrian on Canal Drive and then driving away.

Alexandra N. Brinkley, 33, said she was very sorry as she pleaded guilty Wednesday in Benton County Superior Court to a hit-and-run that killed a 31-year-old mother of five.

The plea comes only two months after Kennewick police used a combination of video, witness statements and an anonymous tip to find Brinkley.

Investigators believe Brinkley was speeding down a dark stretch of Canal Drive in a red Jeep Grand Cherokee about midnight on Nov. 1 when she hit Angelica Morfin-Barajas, 31, as she was crossing the street.

Brinkley told investigators that she didn’t see Morfin-Barajas until she suddenly appeared in front of the SUV.

After hitting her, Brinkley panicked and called an ex-boyfriend to try and get the damage fixed. She also made plans to flee the area, according to court documents.

The charge carries a sentence of three years to three years and seven months in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

Prosecutors plan to recommend the minimum end of the range.

Hit-and-run

Police were called to Canal Drive near Lyle Street after a woman reported finding Morfin-Barajas’ body in the road. The driver had tried to avoid it, but wasn’t able to.

While no one saw the fatal collision, an officer in the area reportedly heard the crash and saw a red SUV fleeing east on Canal Drive.

The collision left a large amount of debris behind, leading investigators to believe Brinkley was going much faster than the 35 mph speed limit, court documents said. There was no evidence that she hit the brakes.

After hitting Morfin-Barajas, Brinkley called an ex-boyfriend to fix her car. When he told her he could get to it in a couple of days, she said she needed it right away because she was moving to Vancouver.

When he realized that Brinkley might be tied to the fatal hit-and-run, he declined to work on the car.

Police learned about the exchange through an anonymous tip.

Finding the Jeep

Investigators were able to identify the red Jeep Cherokee using a combination of video from homes in the area, and the Flock license plate reading system.

They soon learned that it had been involved in a crash in the beginning of October. The woman who was driving identified herself as the daughter of the registered owner “H. H.” After reviewing the video from the crash, they learned that Brinkley had been driving and given officers her sister’s name.

Police were able to track the Jeep to its owner, and talked to a woman, who identified herself as the owner’s daughter.

Investigators tracked Brinkley’s cellphone data to a home on the 700 block of East 15th Avenue on Nov. 6. Police surrounded the home and Brinkley was arrested.

She initially lied and said the Jeep didn’t work after the Oct. 4 crash.

“After allowing Brinkley to tell her story, we advised Brinkley we knew she was not being truthful, Brinkley, with her voice cracking and her eyes tearing up, stated, ‘I didn’t see her,’” Officer Sebastian Castilleja said.

She told investigators that she believed that Morfin-Barajas was OK and that she appeared to be standing up. Though, she admitted that she should have called police.

Struggling mother killed

Morfin-Barajas, of Richland, was a young mother of five children.

Friends posted on social media that Morfin-Barajas was a “struggling mother,” but a “happy soul” who was working to improve her living circumstances.

Her mother posted in Spanish that her daughter had suffered, but was joyful and radiated energy. “If one door closed, she opened three,” her mother posted.

An online fundraiser said Morfin-Barajas’ family was devastated and unprepared for the unexpected funeral expenses.

“Angelica was a loving mother, daughter, sister and friend,” it said