Tallahassee man guilty of fatal 2023 collision with pedestrian

A man has been convicted in it a hit and run where a pedestrian was killed last year.

A Leon County jury found Manuel Holliday II, 24, guilty of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. According to a press release from the Public Prosecution Service, his sentencing is set for January 6, 2025.

Tallahassee Police officers responded to the crash on May 27, 2023, around 1 a.m., after a woman was struck on West Tennessee Street near Lukeman Lane.

Holliday was arrested less than two months later. Investigators identified him through license plate readers and images from a public safety camera near the crime scene, the news release said.

“There is evidence that Holliday was drinking alcohol prior to the crash and was texting at the time he drifted onto the shoulder of the road and struck the victim,” the statement said.

Holliday said he did not stop because he did not realize he had hit anyone, but rather “believed he had hit a buzzard.”

The defense tried to rule out Holliday’s alcohol consumption on the night of the crime, but this was denied.

Assistant State’s Attorney Georgia Cappleman prosecuted; Assistant District Attorney Randall Harper Jr. represented Holliday. Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh presided.

Breaking & trending news reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.