Eight years after bicyclist Heather Miller died in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in a hit-and-run crash , the murder case against defendant Nicky Garcia is finally heading for trial. A judge ruled late Thursday afternoon to drop an agreement that would have avoided a trial.
The judge insisted Thursday that the deal to avoid a trial and give the defendant a 15-year sentence was fair and just. But, he listened to the prosecution’s argument and instead, sent the case to trial.
The defendant’s family came in person to San Francisco Superior Court, and 21 family and friends of the victim appeared by zoom, as did the defendant. Nicky Garcia was 19-years-old at the time of the crash in Golden Gate Park. According to the court file, in June of 2016, he and a friend broke into a car at about 6 p.m., stole a backpack, and drove away in his girlfriend’s Honda Fit. Witnesses say he blew through stop signs and accelerated to 60 miles an hour, swerved to avoid another car and slammed into 41-year-old Heather Miller who was riding her bike. She died on impact.