The criminal case against Stephanie A. Magri remains pending after a 2023 Lauderdale Lakes crash that killed grandmother Sarah Castro. Video from the collision shows Castro being thrown into a parked Ford Mustang after a silver Honda Accord driven by Magri struck a white Tesla Model 3, which then hit Castro. Magri is accused of leaving on foot without identifying herself or checking on Castro.
The crash happened on January 30, 2023, in the 3300 block of North State Road Seven, according to WPLG Local 10. Fire rescue personnel took Castro to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was treated for a traumatic brain injury and a spinal fracture before she died from her injuries at the hospital. Magri, who lived in Broward and lacked a valid driver's license at the time, left the scene without rendering aid or providing her information, per the station's report.
Detective's Warrant Details the Aftermath
In an arrest warrant dated April 12, 2023, Broward Sheriff's Office Detective Chandler Greetham wrote that Magri left without identifying herself or rendering aid to Castro. Deputies arrested Magri on July 18, 2023, at Flanagan's restaurant on Davie Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Broward prosecutors filed the felony case two days later, on July 20.
Magri, now 49 and born in New York, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash with death, a first-degree felony, along with driving while license revoked and failure to remain at the scene of an accident, both third-degree felonies. She pleaded not guilty to all three charges on August 8, 2023. Court records cited by the outlet show Magri had prior convictions for driving on a suspended license dating back to 1999, with additional convictions in 2001, 2002 and as recently as 2022.
Family Pushes Back on House Arrest
Broward County Circuit Judge Andrew Siegel allowed Magri to be released to house arrest in 2024 while the case moves through the court system. Castro's son, Luis Rodriguez, wrote a letter to Siegel that year criticizing Magri's conduct and asked the judge to sentence her to 25 years in prison if she is convicted.
Defense attorney Matthew Karim has said Magri did not know Castro had been injured when she left, according to the station's report. Prosecutors allege that Magri fled without identifying herself or arranging emergency help; the defense disputes what she knew about the crash's consequences. That dispute is central to the case.
What Florida Law Requires — and What Magri Faces
Under Florida Statute § 316.062, any driver involved in a crash resulting in injury or death is legally required to stop, provide their name, address and vehicle registration, present a license on request, and render reasonable assistance, including arranging medical transportation, according to the Brancato Law Firm. Florida case law also holds that a driver can be convicted of leaving the scene of a fatal crash regardless of whether they caused the initial collision, per the Sammis Law Firm — meaning the duty to stop and remain is a standalone legal obligation separate from fault.
Florida Statute § 316.027(2)(c) classifies leaving the scene of a fatal crash as a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of four years, according to Online Sunshine. That mandatory minimum traces back to the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, enacted in July 2014 and named for a 31-year-old cyclist killed in 2012 by a driver who fled and later served under two years in prison because investigators could not determine his blood-alcohol level by the time he surrendered 18 hours later, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The law was written specifically to close that loophole, removing the incentive for drivers to flee crash scenes to avoid DUI manslaughter charges. A conviction also triggers an automatic driver's license revocation of at least three years under Florida Statute § 316.027(2)(e), separate from any prison sentence, according to the Criminal Defense Attorney Tampa firm.
A Broader Pattern on Florida Roads
The Lauderdale Lakes case also falls within a broader statewide hit-and-run problem, particularly for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
Pedestrian collisions make up less than 3% of all traffic crashes in Florida, yet they account for more than 20% of traffic fatalities statewide, according to state crash data cited by USA Today. Broward County, where the crash occurred, routinely logs more than 41,000 collisions a year and consistently ranks among Florida's three most crash-prone counties alongside Miami-Dade and Orange, according to the state agency's data.
What the statewide data and law show
Florida recorded 104,273 hit-and-run crashes in 2023, including 86,987 that involved property damage only, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The agency reported 271 hit-and-run fatalities; pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 76% of them, including 159 pedestrians and 47 bicyclists. The figures provide statewide context but do not, by themselves, establish how Broward County's 2023 totals compared with prior years. Florida Supreme Court jury-instruction materials describe a driver's statewide duty to stop immediately or as close to the crash as possible and provide identifying information. Supreme Court materials summarizing Mancuso v. State also say prosecutors must prove that a driver knew or reasonably should have known about the resulting injury or death. That knowledge requirement is distinct from whether the driver caused the initial collision, and the materials are legal guidance rather than a finding about Magri's conduct, according to the Florida Supreme Court.
Magri's case remains pending before Judge Siegel in Broward County, with her defense and Castro's family continuing to disagree over what she knew the night she left the scene.
