Woman pleads guilty to 2022 fatal hit-and-run charges

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A 21-year-old woman was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a 2022 hit-and-run that left a motorcyclist dead.

Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams said Estafania Salgado Mata, of Swannanoa, pleaded guilty to felonious hit and run resulting in death on Monday, April 29, 2024.

Mata was charged after the July 7, 2022, wreck that killed Terence Duane Weaver. She was sentenced to 16-29 months suspended prison term and placed on 36 months of supervised probation. She was also ordered to refrain from driving while on probation, perform 100 hours of community service, and serve a 30-day split sentence in jail.

SUSPECT ACCUSED IN DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN TURNS HERSELF IN, STATE HIGHWAY PATROL SAYS

Authorities say Weaver was driving a motorcycle westbound on US-70 at around 10:30 p.m. with a female passenger when he lost control and crashed into a grassy embankment on the side of the road.

Authorities say the crash ejected Weaver back into the roadway. Soon after, a red Ford Focus struck Weaver and did not stop. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The passenger was knocked unconscious but made a full recovery, according to a news release from the DA's office.

After an investigation by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol Collision Reconstruction Unit, officers identified the Ford Edge and determined that Mata was the driver.

'DO THE RIGHT THING': FAMILY CALLS FOR JUSTICE AFTER DEADLY MOTORCYCLE HIT AND RUN

The DA's office said an autopsy determined Weaver's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries but it could not determine whether the motorcycle crash or the subsequent collision with the Ford Edge caused the injuries. Investigators said that Weaver was not wearing a helmet, and a toxicology report revealed alcohol in his system.

"Mr. Weaver's family were advised of the guilty plea, were present in court for sentencing, and expressed appreciation for the work performed by investigators with the N.C. Highway Patrol," Williams said in a written statement. "I wish the family peace and healing."