A 46-year-old man pleaded guilty to charges Wednesday in connection with a 2021 hit-and-run crash in Taunton that took the life of a 59-year-old woman, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Taunton resident Roland Escobar pleaded guilty to manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death in the death of Taunton resident Lisa Rocha in Fall River Superior Court, the district attorney’s office said in a press release. He also pleaded guilty to two counts each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in property damage.
On Aug. 3, 2021, Escobar was driving his Chevrolet Traverse on Main Street in Taunton when he hit the back of the Kia in front of him twice around 4:35 p.m., the district attorney’s office said. As he sped away from the crash, he sideswiped several parked cars.
Escobar struck Rocha as she tried to get inside her car, which was parked outside 77 Main St., the district attorney’s office said. He then sped away from the scene and hit a Ford that was driving down Main Street.
Escobar sped away from that crash as well before rear-ending another vehicle near the Taunton Police Station on Summer Street, the district attorney’s office said. Officers found Escobar unconscious inside his SUV, which had rolled onto its side.
Escobar showed signs of an opiate overdose, and officers administered Narcan before taking him to Morton Hospital for treatment, the district attorney’s office said. His blood tested positive for fentanyl.
“This was a senseless killing of an innocent person who was just getting into her car parked on the street. This happened because the defendant was high on fentanyl and should not have been behind the wheel of a car. My heart goes out to the victim’s family,” Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said in the release.
A judge sentenced Escobar to nine to 12 years in state prison and three years probation with conditions of release, the district attorney’s office said.
