Hit-and-run defense points to stress disorder
By Keith L. Alexander - Washington Post
The woman whose SUV struck and killed a Columbia woman in Dupont Circle in October was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when she hit the woman and then drove home, her attorney told a D.C. Superior Court jury Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Jorida Davidson, 31, was drunk during a hit-and-run that killed Kiela M. Ryan, 24. Prosecutors charged Davidson with several counts, including voluntary manslaughter, leaving the scene of a collision and driving under the influence. She faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.
But in his opening statement, Davidson’s attorney Joseph Hannon Jr. told the jury she suffered from childhood trauma associated with growing up in war-torn Albania and did not remember the accident.
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Another key witness for the prosecution is expected to be a bicyclist who saw Ryan leave the vehicle and an SUV hit her. The cyclist followed the SUV until he could get the model, color and license plate number, then texted the information to his girlfriend at the scene.
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