A Venezuelan man allegedly in the United States illegally is in jail after being charged in the death of an elderly Florida woman by backing over her with an SUV in a grocery store parking lot.On May 17, Deborah Murphy, an 82-year-old grandmother, was walking back to her car on a crosswalk outside a Publix in Panama City Beach when she was struck by a Toyota 4Runner, according to court records.She was pushed to the ground by the SUV, but the vehicle continued backing up, "running over Ms.Murphy," according to an arrest affidavit submitted by the Florida Highway Patrol.Deborah Murphy, 82, was killed in Florida on May 17, 2026.
(Courtesy of Amy Edge)ICE URGES NORTH CAROLINA TO KEEP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN TRIPLE-FATAL HIT-AND-RUN BEHIND BARSCarlos Suarez-Contreras, 26, was the driver of the vehicle, court records show.Luis Sanabria, 29, was the front-seat passenger.Both were determined to be in the country illegally, according to arrest records.DOJ DEMANDS SANCTUARY STATES END 'BLATANTLY UNLAWFUL' ANTI-ICE POLICY AS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATHBoth men told deputies they were born in Venezuela.
The two were issued U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and booked into the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Jail, court records show.Suarez-Contreras submitted a written plea of not guilty to the charge of driving with a canceled license and causing a death, a third-degree felony.
His Georgia license had been canceled, according to arrest records.Carlos Suarez-Contreras was charged in Deborah Murphy's death.(Bay County Sheriff’s Office)ILLEGAL TRUCKER CASES FUEL GOP PUSH TO CRACK DOWN ON CDL MILLS AS DEMS LARGELY SILENTUnder Florida law, an illegal immigrant cannot obtain a state-issued driver’s license.
However, 19 states and the District of Columbia do issue licenses to "unauthorized residents," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.At the scene, Sanabria gave sworn testimony to law enforcement that Suarez-Contreras "was opera...