A man accused of killing a 41-year-old woman on the Corona (71) Expressway and then fleeing the scene, hiding out in Mexico until he was apprehended, was out of custody Friday after posting a $150,000 bond.
Robert Chico Griffin, 46, of Chino was turned over to California Highway Patrol investigators by Mexican State Police officials at the U.S.-Mexico border Monday.
Griffin was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run resulting in death. He secured bail on Wednesday and was released from the downtown jail.
According to the CHP, about 2:25 a.m. on Aug. 15, the suspect was going northbound on the 71, just north of the Riverside (91) Freeway in Corona, in a Lexus SC430 when he approached a Dodge Ram pickup just ahead of him.
Officer Javier Navarro alleged that Griffin plowed into the rear of the truck at an unknown speed, causing the driver, whose identity was not released, to lose control and veer off of the highway, where the Dodge overturned.
The pickup’s passenger, Danelle Aguirre of Moreno Valley, was fatally injured. The driver suffered unspecified minor to moderate injuries from which he has since recovered.
Navarro alleged that Griffin raced away from the crash and fled south of the border, where a joint investigation by the U.S. Marshals and Mexican State Police uncovered his whereabouts, culminating in his apprehension earlier this month.
Details regarding how the CHP identified the suspect as the alleged perpetrator were not provided.
Griffin has no documented prior felony convictions. However, court documents show he was involved in an unresolved case for allegedly being an unlicensed driver of a motor vehicle in 2021.