Suspect arrested in deadly Eastvale hit-run

Rob McMillan Image
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Suspect arrested in deadly Eastvale hit-run
A suspect has been arrested almost two months after a young man was killed in hit-and-run crash in Eastvale.

EASTVALE, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspect has been arrested almost two months after a young man was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Eastvale.

Casey Coltrain, 26, made his first appearance before a judge Friday. He allegedly crashed into 21-year-old Troy Davids, who was riding his bike home from work on April 25.

Coltrain is charged with second-degree murder, and hit and run.

"I'll never have closure, but it is a little bit easier," said the victim's mother, Debbie Davids. "It's bittersweet of course, because it's not going to bring our son back, but we're just so grateful. We're for everybody who played a role in this."

A late-night operation at the intersection where Davids was killed gave police the break they needed. Volunteers and deputies passed out fliers there to passing drivers.

"Our original mindset of, if we went to the intersection, the same exact evening that this occurred, perhaps we might find somebody who was in a routine, coming home from work the same evening," said Capt. Jason Horton with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

That's exactly what happened.

"One of the key witnesses came at the very end of that operation, so had we not stayed there for several hours, we may not have been able to identify that person," said Horton.

"I just want to thank everyone for everything, we will never have Troy back, but this is the next step for justice for him," said Davids.

Coltrain was already behind bars on an unrelated charge of attempted burglary. Friday's arraignment was postponed. If convicted in the Davids case, he could get 44 years to life.