Hit-and-run driver killed man in parking lot, washed car ‘just feet’ from dying victim before fleeing: Police

A 21-year-old man in Utah is accused of fatally striking a 63-year-old man with his vehicle in the parking lot of car wash, then cleaning his car “just feet from the victim” before fleeing the scene.

Christian Palma Hernandez was taken into custody last week and charged with one count each of hit and run and leaving the scene of an accident, driving without a license, and failure to maintain a safe and proper lookout in the death of Stirling Kelso, authorities announced.

According to a news release from the Ogden Police Department, officers at about 5:11 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, responded to a call regarding an adult male lying unconscious in a parking lot in the 700 block of South Washington Boulevard. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located a 63-year-old man — later identified as Kelso — unresponsive.

“The individual, a 63-year-old male who was not employed by the business, was cleaning the parking lot of a nearby carwash when he was struck by a vehicle,” the release states. “Unfortunately, he was pronounced deceased at the scene, and the vehicle involved had fled prior to officers’ arrival.”

Police said detectives were able to identify Palma as the suspected driver of the vehicle that struck Kelso. He was located and apprehended the following day.

A probable cause affidavit obtained by Salt Lake City NBC affiliate KSL provided additional details about the circumstances of Kelso’s death.

According to the report, surveillance footage from a nearby business showed a gray Lexus sedan pull into the parking lot of car wash and strike Kelso, who was already “on the ground cleaning the area.” It was not immediately clear why Kelso was cleaning the parking lot of a business for which he did not work.

Following his arrest, Palma reportedly spoke to detectives and confessed to being the driver of the vehicle that killed Kelso. He allegedly admitted to “hitting the pedestrian at the car wash and then driving the car into a nearby bay and washing the vehicle just feet from the victim,” per the affidavit. Palma allegedly added that he was “scared” and “didn’t know what to do” after realizing he’d hit someone with his car.

Someone at the scene reportedly approached Palma and asked if he knew what had happened to the victim, but he allegedly said he had no idea.

The footage further showed Palma having a conversation with another man who was driving a car with a company brand on the side. The branded vehicle appeared to follow Palma out of the lot. Police contacted the business and found a gray Lexus that matched the one from the security footage at the gas station. The Lexus had damage to the front end that was “consistent with an auto vs. pedestrian collision,” police reportedly wrote.

The business owner reportedly told police that some of his employees had taken the car to get washed the previous day.

Salt Lake City CBS affiliate KJZZ reported that Palma initially provided authorities with a permanent resident identification card which was determined to be fake, adding that the suspect “appears to be here illegally from Mexico.”

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