Man burned wife’s car after hit-and-run that killed 12-year-old girl in Raleigh

By Chelsea Donovan

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    RALEIGH, North Carolina (WRAL) — Warrants indicate a husband and wife burned their car to hide evidence after a hit-and-run that killed a child on Hillsborough Street last November.

Raleigh police on Thursday announced the arrests of Blanca Iris de Mari Escobar-Roblero, 27, and Wilmer Morales-Roblero, 26, both of Cary, following a months-long effort to find the driver who hit and killed 12-year-old Samantha Briggs.

On Nov. 25 around 7:30 p.m., Briggs was attempting to cross the road in the 6500 block of Hillsborough St., between Cary and Raleigh, when she was hit and killed by a car that fled the scene.

The crash was the day after Thanksgiving, which was also Briggs’ birthday.

Escobar-Roblero, identified in warrants as the driver, was charged with felony hit-and-run and obstructing justice. According to warrants, she called her husband, Morales-Roblero, after the crash. He was charged with accessory after the fact and obstructing justice.

According to warrants, Morales-Roblero drove his wife to another location and “excessively burned the suspect vehicle.”

Police searched for the persons responsible for Briggs’ death for months.

In May, the Raleigh Police Department set up a checkpoint passing out flyers to drivers in hopes of getting information that would lead to an arrest for the death of Briggs. On Thursday, police said a tip they received at that checkpoint led to the arrests.

A $5000 reward was offered, and police for months were asking the public to be on the lookout for a 2006 to 2008 white Honda Civic.

The girl’s father, Samuel Briggs, told WRAL News the inability to track down the suspect was a tough pill to swallow.

After months of waiting and wondering who, why and what happened, Samantha’s sister Kishaa Holmes said she was overwhelmed to hear the news about the arrest.

“Oh my god, that means they may have known they hit her,” said Samantha’s sister Kishaa Holmes. “I am overwhelmed. I’m shaking.”

Holmes said her family has been trying to ‘hang in there,’ but it’s been a very hard few months.

“Six months of tears and pain and wondering,” she said. “Just how could you flee a scene like that?”

Holmes says she isn’t sure how to feel just yet, but that the arrest does bring some closure.

“I feel a little closure, but it won’t bring her back,” said Holmes. “I just wish things had been different.”

Holmes was shocked to hear the arrest warrant indicated the couple had burned the car.

“The pain I feel is still unbearable,” she said. “And then to burn the car, that’s just crazy.”

Samantha was hit the night after her birthday. She was walking with friends. They had come from the store where they were getting things for a sleepover – candy, cookies and things for her birthday.

“They never got to do the sleepover,” said Holmes.

She says she hopes her sister is dancing in heaven right now.

“She was very loved. She was a great little soul,” she said.

Samantha’s father remembers the last words he said to his little girl: “The last thing I said to her was ‘I love you’ and she loves me. Those were our last words.”

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