Driver, 18, charged with murder
Posted on 01/05/2003 3:09:28 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
Driver, 18, charged with murder
01/05/2003
The 18-year-old driver of the car that struck and killed a Bennigan's waitress was charged Saturday on suspicion of murder and driving under the influence, Irving police said.
The waitress, Jennifer Michelle Sanchez, was trying to write down the license-plate number of the car after its four occupants ran out on a $100 restaurant tab early Friday. She died later that day at Parkland Memorial Hospital from head injuries.
The driver, Sarah Foust of Irving, remained in custody Saturday at the Irving jail with bail set at $100,552 along with two passengers. David Thornton, 19, of Duncanville and Kortnie Henson, 19, of Midlothian were charged with aggravated assault. Their bail was set at $50,000 each.
The fourth occupant, a Dallas man in his 20s, was not in the car when police stopped it about two miles from the restaurant. He had not been taken into custody Saturday.
 Jennifer Sanchez |
The Irving police homicide unit is investigating the incident, including whether Ms. Foust backed into Ms. Sanchez on purpose and whether alcohol was purchased illegally at the restaurant.
"Four kids have ruined their lives in addition to the loss of a 20-year-old woman," Irving homicide Detective Randall Johnson said.
The family of Mr. Thornton declined to comment.
Walt Zakutney, who lives across the street from Mr. Thornton's family in Duncanville, said the teenager grew up in the neighborhood.
"It's not uncommon to have eight or nine cars out there and stereos blaring," he said. "It's not unusual after all-night parties to have trash and beer bottles in the yard."
A woman who described herself as Ms. Henson's grandmother at the family's home outside Midlothian said they were hurting for Ms. Henson as well as for the family of the victim. She declined to give her name.
Ms. Foust's family could not be reached.
Ms. Sanchez had run into the restaurant parking lot to write down the license-plate information about 1 a.m. when Ms. Foust backed into her, police said. Ms. Sanchez fell on the car's trunk. The driver then sped forward, carrying Ms. Sanchez on the car before she was thrown off.
John Beck, the vice president for marketing at Bennigan's, said he could not comment on the police investigation, but officials were given the unpaid $100 bill.
The foursome sat down to order about 12:30 a.m. Friday and were apprehended by police about 1:15 a.m., Mr. Beck said.
Bennigan's policy is that anyone who appears to be younger than 30 must show proper identification to purchase alcohol, Mr. Beck said. And all wait staff and bartenders at the restaurant go through the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission training program, which teaches them how to recognize proper identification, he said.
Ms. Sanchez's funeral has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Arlington Funeral Home followed by burial at Moore Memorial Gardens in Arlington. Relatives also have tentatively planned a memorial service Tuesday night at the funeral home.
Donations are being accepted at the Bennigan's in Irving in the 4300 block of Airport Freeway. Bennigan's officials will meet with the family after the funeral to determine what kind of fund would best preserve Ms. Sanchez's memory.
Ms. Sanchez was a student at Northlake College and had just moved into her own apartment, her father, Daniel Sanchez, said.
He described Ms. Sanchez as a beautiful young woman with a bright future. The upgraded charges saddened him, he said.
"We are not advocators of [excessive] drinking, whether you are a minor or of legal age for alcohol consumption," he said. "We're basically a Christian family, and that's one of the values we have instilled in our kids."
Even while grieving for his daughter, he said, he hoped that her death would be an example to others of what can happen. He encouraged people to pray for his daughter and the people who were arrested.
"Obviously we're going through a tremendous time of mourning. We don't live in a flawless society, but we work in the one we live in," Mr. Sanchez said.
Staff writer Wendy Hundley contributed to this report.
E-mail tellis@dallasnews.com
Prior article posted on FR:
| Waitress hit by car dies - murdered by 4 customers walking out on $100 Bennigan's tab in Irving |
Hang them (after conviction, of course) and they won't have to sit around feeling the pain of their 'ruined lives'.
If you want OFF this story update list, let me know...
Additionally, if the victim had been black and killed by white perps............look out.
That . . . is a very good point.
Ordinarily this is absolutely true. It remains to be seen if the vile ands evil PC behavior is at work here. The driver's name "Froust" seems northern european. The beautiful murdered girl is chicano.
I'll bet you a dinner at Bennigans that they are white.
I know it's early in the morning, but I had to read this title about ten times and it STILL didn't make any sense. Babblefish?
Anyway, there was a waitress that worked at Friday's that had a table of FOUR start to walk out on their bill. When she chased them down, the foursome said they didn't have any money for the bill. The waitress asked "Why did you come here without any money?" The Foursome replied, "We didn't realize that your food cost so much." The waitress said,"You should have gone to McDOnalds then."
The foursome, promptly went to the Manager and complained that the Waitress was being racist (yeah you guessed it), implying that blacks can only afford cheap food.
End of the story? The waitress was fired.
Standing BEHIND a car that is backing up?
How about standing to the side?
How about cameras in the parking lot?
How about putting Leg Irons on the customers and opening them up after they pay? We will need a Federal Law requiring every restaurant to do this to "level the playing field"... this would most importantly serve as an opportunity to identify those who publicly intoxicated so they can be given citations and or sent to jail...
If I were a server/bartender I would get every big guy I could to go with me before I went after even one deadbeat.
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