Man Charged with Second Degree Murder in Drunk Driving Death

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Northern District of Oklahoma
16 December 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

An alleged drunk driver who struck and killed a woman in a 2019 collision was charged this week with second degree murder in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.

According to the indictment, Hector Manuel Hernandez, 36, of Tulsa, is alleged to have hit another car, and as he fled the first accident, he hit the victim’s vehicle head on. The victim died from injuries sustained in the collision. The accident occurred on Nov. 26, 2019.

“Driving while intoxicated is both irresponsible and selfish. Far too many lives have been taken at the hands of drunk drivers. That’s why it is important to prosecute these types of cases,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Bish, a visiting attorney from Western New York, will be the lead on this case to pursue justice for the victim.”

The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

The Broken Arrow Police Department, FBI and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Bish is prosecuting the case. AUSA Bish is a prosecutor from the Western District of New York. He volunteered to assist prosecution efforts here in the Northern District of Oklahoma due to the increased volume of cases since the Supreme Court’s ruling which stated the Creek Nation Reservation had never been officially disestablished by Congress. The United States and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation have jurisdiction of all cases that occur on the reservation involving Native American victims or defendants.

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