A suspect with a history of DUI offenses has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Murray this past July, in which a 53-year-old woman was killed. Nathan Michael Portillo, 24, now faces serious charges, including two counts of first-degree felony murder, as reported by KUTV.
Investigation revealed that Portillo was allegedly driving a 2014 GMC Sierra pickup truck when he narrowly missed a passenger car and fatally struck the victim in a crosswalk during the incident, he's also accused of trying to conceal the evidence by repairing damage on the vehicle himself and, despite his suspended license due to a prior drug offense, continued to drive and consume alcohol excessively since the accident, this detailed in an arrest affidavit obtained by KSLTV. The passenger, who was in the truck with Portillo at the time, described being so terrified by his erratic and reckless driving that she decided to jump out of the moving vehicle, enduring only minor injuries.
Furthermore, ABC4 reported on the passenger's account, stating "His threats of killing her and his reckless driving was so severe and caused [the woman] such fear that she jumped from the moving vehicle sustaining minor scrapes to her knees." These statements elucidate the extent of fear instilled by Portillo's driving, leading up to the tragic loss of life shortly thereafter.
The velocity of Portillo's truck was determined by investigators to be 55 mph before the crash, which significantly exceeds the typical speed limits in urban crossing areas, and police stated he “has a suspended license due to a drug offense,” is referred to as "a habitual DUI offender (and) was likely DUI at the time of the crash, and continues to drink excessively since the accident as well", all factors exacerbating the gravity of his alleged actions and indicating a pattern of dangerous behavior on the road, as per the details mentioned in the police affidavit shared by KSLTV.
