CHARLOTTE — The driver who hit and killed a 25-year-old Queens University graduate in NoDa was sentenced to 30 days in jail plus probation in court Tuesday.
Q’Laundra Hood was charged with felony hit-and-run and involuntary manslaughter for the death of Lance Sotelo on Jan. 14. Investigators said Hood ran the red light at The Plaza and 36th Street and struck Sotelo while he was out for a run.
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Sotelo’s family and friends filled the courtroom Tuesday morning. His mother tearfully described what it has been like to lose her only son. She said she forgives Hood but cannot forget.
At her sentencing, Hood apologized and asked the family for forgiveness, saying she wished she could turn back time.
James Holt, Sotelo’s partner, said today was supposed to be about accountability.
“After what happened, we just want some responsibility taken for the actions,” Sotelo’s partner, James Holt, said. “We just want to see accountability for having the community put through what we’ve been put through all these months.”
In addition to jail time, Hood was also ordered to pay restitution to Sotelo’s family.
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