Paso Robles driver is responsible for man’s death in hit-and-run, jury finds
A Paso Robles man accused of fleeing the scene after running over a pedestrian who had already been hit by another vehicle was convicted of being responsible for the death Wednesday.
Christopher Winters, 35, was found guilty of hit-and-run causing death after he hit 22-year-old Steve Leon in the early morning hours of July 3, 2021, near Meadowlark Road and Deer Spring Drive in Paso Robles.
A gray vehicle first struck Leon at 1:40 a.m., the Paso Robles Police Department said at the time, and as officers were on their way to the scene, Winters also ran over Leon and did not stop.
Leon had been heading home after drinking with a friend, San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Ashley Cervera said during closing arguments. He was in the middle of Meadowlark Road when he was hit.
Leon was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the first vehicle has not been identified.
Earlier in court, both parties agreed that Winters’ vehicle was the second to run over Leon, and the DNA evidence proved it. According to a news release from the District Attorney’s Office, Winters was captured leaving a bar “where he is believed to have been drinking” about 10 minutes before the crash.
There was no evidence presented at trial, like a blood alcohol content measurement, to prove Winters was under the influence of alcohol at the time he hit Leon.
The key question jurors had to consider was whether Winters knew he hit a person at the time of the crash.
California law requires drivers to stop, render aid and call for help if they hit a person or have reason to believe they hit a person.
Cervera argued that Winters knew he hit a person and lied about it to officers, while attempting to cover his tracks by texting a friend that he hit a deer. She added that though Winters was the second car to hit Leon, the crash was a “significant factor” in Leon’s death, which was caused by “complications with multiple blunt force trauma injuries.”
Winters’ defense attorney, Paul Phillips, argued there was no way Winters could have known he hit a person because of how dark it was and the minimal damage to his vehicle. He added that there was no way to know what injuries were caused specifically by Winters’ vehicle and that a witness testified they knew Leon was dead after the first car hit him.
The jury ultimately agreed with the prosecution, and found Winters guilty of felony hit and run causing death after one day of deliberations.
He faces two to four years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23.
This story was originally published March 27, 2024 at 6:22 PM.
