Drivers in the Springfield area killed four victims in two separate crashes that happened within 8 hours of each other in Springfield and West Springfield late last week.
In both killings, the suspects initially fled the scene, but were later apprehended and are now facing charges.
Aronde Odom, killed in Springfield on Thursday, March 27
According to the Springfield Police Department, a driver struck and killed Aronde Odom, a 30 year-old Fall River resident, around 5:15 p.m. on Thursday in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield.
Odom was reportedly walking his bike across the intersection of Parker and Verge Streets, near the underpass where Parker Street crosses under the CSX railroad tracks, when he was killed.
Responding officers say they found a vehicle parked on the side of the roadway with a bicycle tire lodged underneath, but the driver had fled the scene.
The next day, the suspect, Carlos Reyes, turned himself in at the Springfield Police Department.
Reyes was arraigned Monday afternoon in Springfield District Court and charged with leaving the scene of fatal crash. He is being held in jail on a $250,000 bail.
Friends remember Odom as a pillar of the Fall River skateboarding community.
Brandon Rose, who set up a GoFundMe page for Odom's funeral expenses, noted that Odom died while riding his fixed-gear bike – "one of his favorite things to do besides skateboarding."
"Aronde Akeem Odom was one of the greatest people you could ever hope to be around. He radiated positivity with an immense and infectious aura—his laugh and smile could instantly make your day better and brighter," writes Rose.
Ryan Almeida and Raul Bohorquez of Brockton, and Igor Costa of Marlborough, killed in West Springfield on Friday, March 28
A few hours after Odom's killing, another driver struck and killed three construction workers at the Exit 10A off-ramp on Interstate 91, just across the river in West Springfield.
The Hampden County District Attorney's Office identified the victims as Igor Costa, 26, of Marlborough, Ryan Almeida, 48, of Brockton, and Raul Bohorquez, 57, of Brockton.
The three men were repairing a highway guardrail near the entrance to the off-ramp when they died together.
In a GoFundMe fundraiser written in Portuguese, Igor Costa's family remembers him as "a family man who brought us immeasurable love and light to our lives."
His family is trying to raise $25,000 to send his body to Brazil, where his grandparents and extended family live.
In a separate GoFundMe fundraiser, Ryan Almeida's family remembers him as "an amazing, kindhearted, and hard-working man, always willing to help whoever needed it."
Almeida is survived by a wife, five children, and three grandkids.
The Hampden District Attorney’s Office alleges that the three men were killed by Bilal Griffith, a 29-year-old West Springfield man, when he veered off the highway and crashed into the three victims at approximately 12:50 a.m. Friday morning.
The District Attorney also alleges that Griffith initially fled the scene on foot, but was later identified as the vehicle owner and arrested in a nearby neighborhood.
Griffith was arraigned on Friday afternoon in Springfield District Court on three counts of manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He is being held on $1 million cash bail and will next appear in court on April 2 for a bail hearing.
