The Boynton Beach community grapples with the aftermath of a tragic event that has taken the lives of a local mother and daughter, the grief tangible in the words of the family they left behind. According to WPBF, Junel Pochette is mourning the loss of his wife, Marcia Pochette, and daughter, Jenice Woods, who were killed Tuesday night in a vehicular collision. “My wife gone, my daughter gone,” Junel Pochette told WPBF, sharing his heartbreak and the enduring love he holds for them.
On what began as an evening filled with joy, sharing news of an expected grandchild, ended in sorrow; Marcia and Jenice were struck by a speeding vehicle while turning onto Meadows Boulevard, a notification on Junel's phone about the accident sparking the dread that led to the confirmation of their passing. Immediately following the crash, the man responsible, 23-year-old Neoni Copeland, fled the scene, an action that led to his subsequent arrest after being spotted according to CBS12, desperately seeking aid while bearing injuries of his own.
The community's response highlights the sudden void left by the departure of two souls described as "the most beautiful people you’d ever meet," a sentiment echoed by Beth Jerome, Marcia’s goddaughter, who reflected on the faith that supports her through this time, "This family is God-driven," she mentioned in a statement obtained by WPBF, asserting her trust in God to navigate the family's immense loss.
At present, Copeland is charged with leaving the scene of a crash, yet the charges directly related to the fatalities of Marcia and Jenice are pending while the investigation unfolds after Copeland was treated for his injuries and taken into custody, he expressed to the Boynton Beach Police Department his fear drove him to flee and claimed unawareness of the occupants in the struck vehicle, in a story picked up by CBS12.
