‘Vibrant’ Florida grandma allegedly killed by illegal immigrant outside Publix, family fights for justice

A Venezuelan antheral allegedly successful the United States illegally is successful jailhouse aft being charged successful the decease of an aged Florida pistillate by backing implicit her with an SUV successful a market store parking lot.

On May 17, Deborah Murphy, an 82-year-old grandmother, was walking backmost to her car connected a crosswalk extracurricular a Publix successful Panama City Beach erstwhile she was struck by a Toyota 4Runner, according to tribunal records.

She was pushed to the crushed by the SUV, but the conveyance continued backing up, "running implicit Ms. Murphy," according to an apprehension affidavit submitted by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Deborah Murphy, 82, was killed successful Florida connected May 17, 2026. (Courtesy of Amy Edge)

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Carlos Suarez-Contreras, 26, was the operator of the vehicle, tribunal records show. Luis Sanabria, 29, was the front-seat passenger.

Both were determined to beryllium successful the state illegally, according to apprehension records.

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Both men told deputies they were calved successful Venezuela. The 2 were issued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and booked into the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Jail, tribunal records show.

Suarez-Contreras submitted a written plea of not blameworthy to the complaint of driving with a canceled licence and causing a death, a third-degree felony. His Georgia licence had been canceled, according to apprehension records.

Carlos Suarez-Contreras was charged successful Deborah Murphy's death. (Bay County Sheriff’s Office)

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Under Florida law, an amerciable migrant cannot get a state-issued driver’s license. However, 19 states and the District of Columbia bash contented licenses to "unauthorized residents," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

At the scene, Sanabria gave sworn grounds to instrumentality enforcement that Suarez-Contreras "was operating the conveyance astatine the clip of the crash."

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Luis Sanabria, an amerciable immigrant, was a rider successful the car erstwhile Deborah Murphy was killed extracurricular a Publix successful Panama City Beach, Florida, constabulary said. (Bay County Sheriff’s Office)

Before conducting an migration investigation, the lawman connected the country noted that Suarez-Contreras gave "suspicious" answers to his questions.

Sanabria instantly near the country connected ft earlier instrumentality enforcement arrived, according to apprehension records. He "only returned erstwhile I had Suarez-Contreras telephone him," a lawman reported later.

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Sanabria was recovered to person an expired visa, according to the incidental report. He was released into the custody of ICE, Jacob Navarro, nationalist affairs specializer for the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, told Fox News Digital.

Suarez-Contreras is being held without enslaved due to the fact that of his migration presumption and due to the fact that it is believed that "he is simply a imaginable formation risk," Florida Highway Patrol records show.

Shoppers usage the crosswalk successful beforehand of a Publix supermarket successful Alachua, Fla., connected July 20, 2026. (Natasha Holt for Fox News Digital)

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Just aft the incident, Murphy was taken to the infirmary and died from injuries related to the crash, according to tribunal documents.

Suarez-Contreras is scheduled to beryllium arraigned connected Aug. 17 astatine the Bay County Courthouse successful Panama City, Florida.

"We’re determined to find justness and spot Suarez-Contreras held accountable for his reckless actions," Murphy's duplicate daughters, Beth Schulz and Amy Edge, told Fox News Digital connected a telephone call. "She touched truthful galore lives arsenic an astonishing friend, teacher, parent and grandmother."

Her household remembers her arsenic "a light" who was "vibrant with truthful galore much memories to beryllium made."

Deborah Murphy with her husband, retired Air Force Colonel George Murphy, and their grandchildren connected a Florida beach. (Courtesy of Amy Edge)

Crashes injuring pedestrians

About 16% of fatal postulation crashes successful the U.S. progressive drivers with invalid licenses successful 2024, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That aforesaid year, 7,080 pedestrians were killed successful postulation crashes and much than 71,000 pedestrians were injured.

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The authorities of Florida reported 10,501 pedestrian-related crashes successful 2024, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. There were 678 deaths attributed to those incidents. Drivers failing to look down them erstwhile backing a conveyance successful a parking batch is listed arsenic 1 of the astir communal reasons for pedestrian crashes by NHTSA.

The Georgia Department of Driver Services told Fox News Digital that Suarez-Contreras' licence has been canceled. The bureau would not accidental erstwhile it was canceled, citing privateness reasons.

The lawyer defending Suarez-Contreras told Fox News Digital successful an email that his lawsuit "didn’t perpetrate immoderate transgression regarding the charges helium was arrested on."

"It’s simply an unfortunate incidental and not transgression successful nature," wrote Russell Ramey of Musca Law successful Panama City.

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One of Murphy’s grandchildren presented the household with a postulation of reflections connected beingness from Murphy successful her ain words, her daughters said.

"My hubby and I ever felt that the champion happening we could bash for generations to travel would beryllium to permission this satellite with radical who would marque a difference," Murphy wrote successful 1 of the reflections shared with Fox News Digital.

"It has been a delight to witnesser one’s ain legacy. I convey my daughters for making our imagination travel true!!"