Four teenagers broke away from their classmates on a Tuesday in 2023 and went for a joyride on Interstate 95. With the speedometer nearing the 100 mph mark, investigators say they lost control of the car and careened into a man walking on the highway's shoulder, killing him.
The teenagers emptied out of the car and ran. According to state troopers, only 17-year-old Chris Espinal-Duron turned back to wait for police. He spoke to investigators without a parent or lawyer and admitted to hitting the man.
Florida Highway Patrol issued a warrant for his arrest on July 21, but his capture was incidental. A trooper in St. Lucie County pulled over Espinal-Duron on July 27 and planned to cite him for weaving through traffic at 110 mph. A search of his name,
however, revealed the arrest warrant for vehicular homicide issued days earlier.
Troopers arrested Espinal-Duron, now 20, for the death of 56-year-old Michael Anthony Smith. Charged with one count of negligent manslaughter, he faces up to 15 years in prison. County Judge Marci Rex set his bail at $100,000 on Aug. 1 and ordered him to remain under house arrest, forbidden from driving, while his case proceeds.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, Espinal-Duron and his classmates at John I. Leonard High School were on a field trip to the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History in Wellington on Jan. 24, 2023.
Espinal-Duron and three friends, who are not named in the arrest report, decided to go for a drive in Espinal-Duron's Honda Civic before they were due back at the museum.
Witnesses later told investigators they saw the boys speeding south on I-95, weaving in and out of lanes without using their turn signals. One said the Honda appeared to be racing another speeding car.
Troopers say that as Espinal-Duron approached Lantana Road, he tried to squeeze his car between a pickup and a Subaru. His car's right side clipped the Subaru, sending the Honda spinning out of control. It then veered off the road and struck Smith.
Espinal-Duron's arrest report doesn't indicate what Smith was doing on the side of the highway. Fire rescue personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. Reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trooper stops speeding driver, discovers warrant for years-old homicide
