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Nevada Woman Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run After Attempting to Cover Up Crime

Writer's picture: Victor NwokoVictor Nwoko
Rachel Maria Terranova
Rachel Maria Terranova

Rachel Maria Terranova, 27, from Nevada, is accused of fatally striking a pedestrian in a hit-and-run collision before driving over an hour away to repair her vehicle and searching online for news about the incident. Terranova was charged with one felony count of failing to stop at the scene of an accident, which resulted in the death of 35-year-old Darrel Redhawk Pingleton, according to court records.


On April 28 at approximately 5:05 a.m., Nevada State Police troopers responded to a fatal hit-and-run call on the I-215 Summerlin Parkway northbound off-ramp. Terranova, allegedly driving a Honda Civic (model years 2017-2021), struck and killed Pingleton before fleeing the scene. Authorities initially did not know the color of the vehicle but identified it by the front-end damage.


The incident reportedly occurred around 11:45 p.m. on April 27 when Pingleton, from Alpine, California, was walking near the off-ramp. Investigators found pieces of a Honda Civic near Pingleton’s body, prompting a search for damaged Civics in the area.


On May 1, an auto body shop employee in Pahrump, Nevada, about 60 miles west of Las Vegas, alerted authorities to a Honda Civic with front-end damage and blood on the exterior. Terranova claimed she hit construction equipment on April 27, but the Nevada Department of Transportation confirmed no construction was taking place in the area.


Troopers obtained a search warrant for the vehicle, discovering human hair on the windshield and blood spatter on the bumper, both testing positive for human blood. Surveillance footage showed Terranova leaving her home on April 27 with an undamaged Civic and returning with the damaged vehicle. The broken car pieces matched Terranova’s Civic.


Further investigation revealed Terranova had been searching online for news about the crash. She was arrested on May 30 and released with medium electronic monitoring on the condition of staying out of trouble, as ordered by Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Joe M. Bonaventure. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 5.


Authorities continue to investigate the fatal accident.

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