Fresno gang member accused of killing Clovis woman, 19, during police pursuit enters plea
Marc Rodriguez, the Fresno man accused of causing a deadly crash that killed Hannah Pimentel, 19, of Clovis, made his first court appearance Tuesday — two and a half weeks after being captured in Arizona.
Rodriguez, 31, entered a plea of not guilty to charges of murder, evading an officer causing death and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He faces 51 years and four months to life in prison if found guilty of all the charges.
The victim’s mother Tracey Pimentel watched Tuesday’s arraignment, which was live streamed on YouTube.
She plans to be at every court appearance her daughter’s alleged killer must attend. She wanted to be there in person, but Fresno County’s Superior Court’s COVID-19 restrictions only allow people who have business in court.
“I want him to see my face,” she said. “I want him to know that our world has been destroyed because he took her away.”
The younger Pimentel was enrolled in Fresno City College and wanted to be a substance abuse counselor.
“She was always so good at helping others,” Pimentel said. “I miss her so much.”
Hannah Pimentel died on May 12 after Rodriguez allegedly slammed into her black BMW near Stanislaus and N Streets.
Rodriguez, who Fresno police identified as a Bulldog gang member, was wanted by police on several weapons violations.
The day of the crash he was spotted in Chinatown about mid-afternoon and was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer working with the multi-agency gang enforcement consortium (MAGEC).
He stopped, but only for a short while. As soon as he saw the officer approaching his vehicle he took off in his black Ford Fusion.
Rodriguez led police on a chase through downtown Fresno where he tossed an AR-15 rifle out of his car window, drove down a one-way street and eventually slammed into Pimentel’s BMW.
Rodriguez ran from the scene and eluded police for two and a half weeks before he was found and arrested in Phoenix.
Charges have also been filed against three others for helping him escape.
His defense attorney is Gerald Schwab and prosecuting the case is Robert Veneman-Hughes.
Rodriguez remains in the Fresno County Jail with bail set at $1.2 million.
This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 4:11 PM.
