A tragic hit-and-run incident involving an illegal immigrant resulted in the death of a University of South Carolina student, yet the offender received a surprisingly lenient sentence this summer. This decision has ignited significant public outcry across the nation.
Rosali Fernandez-Cruz, aged 24, has been incarcerated at Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia since August. At that time, three of his initial charges were quietly dropped, and he entered a guilty plea on a more serious charge related to the death of 21-year-old Nathaniel Baker, records indicate.
According to a spokesperson for Republican South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, it’s the judge who determined the one-year sentence. The spokesperson mentioned that Baker’s family was consulted and preferred to handle the matter privately without political ramifications. “They didn’t want this to be politicized or heavily publicized,” the spokesperson noted. “They agreed to the plea deal and sentence.”
Fernandez-Cruz, originally from El Salvador, had been eluding US Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2018. He was credited with 131 days already served in jail, though hit-and-run offenses in South Carolina can incur sentences of up to 25 years, as reported by The State.
He is expected to be released on March 2, 2026, as per the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Wilson’s office has not yet responded to requests for comments from The Post.
Fernandez-Cruz was apprehended shortly after the incident where he failed to yield, causing Baker, who was riding his motorcycle near the university’s campus, to lose his life.
This driver, reportedly without a license, fled the collision scene and eventually abandoned his vehicle. He was later caught by a officer who recognized the name in the National Crime Information Center system, prompting an ICE notification, police stated at the time.
Fernandez-Cruz had illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico on an unspecified date, later being apprehended by Border Patrol in Texas in 2016, according to a Department of Homeland Security source who provided details to The Post in April.
In 2018, a North Carolina immigration judge had ordered his removal to El Salvador.
<pThe charges against him included hit-and-run resulting in death, failure to provide information and render aid, failure to yield, and driving unlawfully.
Ultimately, he pled guilty solely to the charge of hit-and-run resulting in death, resulting in the dismissal of the other charges.
The status regarding his potential deportation to El Salvador following his sentence remains uncertain.
DHS and ICE have not yet replied to inquiries from The Post.
