Patrick E. Nolan was sentenced for the hit-and-run crash that led to the death of a mother of four, Selene Galvan-Santos, in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 30, 2018, Galvan-Santos, 30, and her husband got into an argument, which prompted him to leave their Chesterfield Village apartment in the 600 Block of Chinaberry Drive.
He started walking down a dark road, Marbrett Drive, and Galvan-Santos followed behind him.
Galvan-Santos’ husband said that when he saw a car, a dark-colored sedan, coming in their direction, he flashed a flashlight at them to admonish them that they were on the roadway.
After the vehicle passed him, he heard his wife scream from being hit by the car.
As he was running in her direction, he said he saw the car make “a u-turn in the Chesterfield Village apartments parking lot and briefly stop before speeding off.”
He then flashed the flashlight at the license plate and saw “417.”
First responders arrived on the scene and transported Galvan-Santos to Chippenham Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Relatives described Galvan-Santos as a “sweet, outgoing mother who loved her kids.”
The community was stunned after learning about Galvan-Santos’ death.
One neighbor told the media that they couldn’t understand how someone could leave the scene of an accident instead of stopping to help.
A GoFundMe was set up to help pay for funeral expenses and to send Galvan-Santos’ body to Mexico.
In September 2019, nearly one year after Galvan-Santos’ death, police officers identified the driver of the vehicle as Nolan.
Sgt. James Lamb of the Chesterfield Police Department said, “He was not on our radar a year ago. Through the department of forensic science, the information we got from the state lab and the tests lead us to a specific make and model of a vehicle.”
Nolan was reportedly 34 years old at the time of his arrest.
He was booked into the county jail on charges of felony hit-and-run and was held without bond.
In 2021, Nolan pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, but 10 years were suspended.
He will serve one year before he is released.