Rochester, N.Y. (AP) - A woman who authorities say fatally hit a man with a car she was driving at high speeds last week is facing a murder charge.
Angelina Griffin, 24, told witnesses that she had just been robbed at gun point by Omar Coker. She then drove her car onto the shoulder of the road and fatally struck 34-year-old Coker, Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi said on Tuesday.
Griffin turned herself into police on Monday evening and was charged with second-degree murder, The Democrat and Chronicle reported. She pleaded not guilty in a court on Monday and is being held without bail.
“This was not a traffic safety issue, but rather an intentional act,” Catholdi said.
Court documents said the car threw Coker into the air and that Griffin stayed briefly at the scene where she told witnesses Coker had just robbed her with a gun and tried to pick up cash that was strewn around, the newspaper reported.
Police found Coker dead when they arrived and said that they found a gun with him and several thousand dollars in cash at the scene.
An attorney for Griffin said that she emphatically denies the charge and that she arranged through her attorney to turn herself in when she learned she would be charged.
“What I’ve heard of the investigation, the decedent had a gun on his person in the street, and I think as the case proceeds, that fact will be very significant,” James Napier said. He declined to answer a question about whether Griffin alleges Coker robbed her.
Griffin was released from prison in April 2020 after being convicted of robbery charges, the newspaper reported. She was on parole at the time she allegedly hit Coker.
Griffin’s next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 19. Brighton is a town located just south of Rochester, New York.
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