MOBILE, Ala.—A Florida woman making a cross-country drive with her boyfriend allegedly let him out on Interstate 10 and then intentionally ran him down, killing him, authorities said.
Johana Suarez, 37, of Miami, was jailed on a charge of murder in the death of Henry Hernandez, 48. The man was found dead early Sunday alongside Interstate 10 west of Mobile, Alabama.
A judge refused to set bond for Suarez on Tuesday after prosecutors said she had no ties to the area and was a threat to flee, news outlets reported. But the decision could be reconsidered at a hearing Thursday.
The two were westbound for California and spent Saturday night in Mississippi, Capt. Paul Burch of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office told WALA-TV. He said they got up early Sunday and headed off in the wrong direction, resulting in an argument that ended with Hernandez getting out of the vehicle with his belongings just miles (kilometers) into Alabama.
“She drove away. She didn’t get too far away, turned around began traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-10 and struck him at a high rate of speed pretty much killing him instantly,” Burch said.
He added that evidence from the vehicle’s computer system showed the car was traveling at 73 mph (117 kph) upon impact.
Suarez was uninjured in the crash. She didn’t immediately have a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.
