Man pleads guilty in crash that killed popular DJ Jinx Paul
EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- The suspected driver in a hit-and-run that killed popular radio host DJ Jinx pleaded guilty Tuesday morning.
Kevin Ozoria, 28, of Upper Manhattan, initially turned himself in several days after the December 19, 2016, crash that killed the Mega 97.9 FM host, whose real name was Jean Paul Guerrero. After he was released due to a lack of evidence, he surrendered once again in 2017.
Ozoria pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. He will be sentenced in May to five years of probation and 100 hours of the Choices and Consequences program.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez released the following statement:
"Instead of calling an ambulance or offering aid, this defendant left the scene of a crash after a beloved member of our community, Jean Paul Guerrero, a.k.a., DJ Paul Jinx, was struck and killed. This was a challenging case with multiple witnesses who refused to cooperate, but I was committed to working with his family and getting justice for Mr. Guerrero. This defendant has now taken responsibility and been held to account for his actions. I extend my sincerest condolences to his family and friends, who remained dedicated to getting justice and I hope they find some small solace in today's guilty plea to the top count, a felony. I am committed to keeping our streets safe for all pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers."
On the night of the crash, Guerrero had finished a DJ gig at a party in East New York. He was crossing the street when he was struck.
At the time, detectives were looking into Ozoria's vehicle, which police said was dropped off at a body shop in Brooklyn with a broken windshield after the fatal crash.
The person who had dropped off the car asked the shop owner to park the car in the shop and not on the street, which raised some suspicion with the shop owner. He later called the police after seeing a news report about the popular DJ's death.
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