In a case that ignited national anger this summer, an undocumented immigrant involved in a deadly hit-and-run that killed a University of South Carolina student received a surprisingly light sentence.
Rosalie Fernandez-Cruz, 24, has been serving time at Kirkland Correctional Facility since August, following a plea deal where three charges were quietly dismissed. She pleaded guilty to the most serious charge, the murder of 21-year-old Nathaniel Baker, as indicated by prison records.
“The judge handed down a one-year sentence,” a spokesperson for South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson stated. They noted that Baker’s family was consulted before the lenient sentence was reached and preferred to keep the details confidential.
According to the spokesperson, the family didn’t want the case to become a topic of political debate and were in agreement with the guilty plea and sentence.
Fernandez-Cruz, originally from El Salvador and evading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2018, was also set to serve 131 days in prison. This, despite being eligible for up to 25 years due to the fatal hit-and-run incident in South Carolina.
Her release is scheduled for March 2, 2026.
Fernandez-Cruz was involved in the incident shortly after failing to yield to Baker, who was riding a motorcycle near the university’s Columbia campus.
After striking him, she fled the scene, abandoned her vehicle, and was arrested by officers who discovered her details in the National Crime Information Center database.
Reports indicate Fernandez-Cruz crossed the U.S.-Mexico border under unknown circumstances before being apprehended by Border Patrol in Texas in 2016, according to a Homeland Security official.
Two years later, an immigration judge in North Carolina ordered her to return to her home country.
She faced charges including hit-and-run resulting in death and failure to provide information or aid, among others.
It’s still uncertain whether she will face deportation to El Salvador once her sentence concludes.
Both the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not yet responded to requests for comments regarding the situation.
