A Roxbury man accused of hitting and killing a Somerville woman while she crossed Mystic Avenue in a crosswalk was released on $1,000 bail today after appearing at his arraignment.
Zewdu Abate Gedamu, 64, of Roxbury paid a $1,000 cash bail and appeared briefly, in a grey suit, before a judge in Somerville District Court. He did not enter a plea, and the accusations against him were not read aloud. He agreed to not drive or drink alcohol, among other conditions, before heading to the probation office with three of his supporters.
Gedamu is charged with leaving the scene of a crash causing personal injury or death after striking Cheryl Pauline Richards, 52, of Somerville in his 2008 Mercedes Benz E350 before 8 p.m. Saturday on Mystic Avenue southbound near Stop & Shop, police say.
State police said Sunday a preliminary investigation indicated Richards was on foot and in a crosswalk.
Richards was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
According to a criminal complaint, Gedamu turned himself into Somerville police Sunday morning. He first told Somerville police he wasn’t sure if he hit somebody, and he “had consumed two glasses of wine at dinner.”
In a later interview with a state trooper, he said he stopped his vehicle after the collision and was “shaking up” because it was his first accident. He told state police he could not find the crash victim, and shouted “is there anybody around here?” then drove to his workplace, Pilgrim Parking in Boston.
A woman who picked up the phone at Pilgrim Parking declined to comment if Gedamu worked there, citing a confidentiality issue.
He admitted to state police he had one glass of wine at an Ethiopian restaurant in Malden earlier that evening, according to the criminal complaint. He also said in the report he had a problem in his left eye that affects his vision.
Gedamu and his attorney, Patrick Hanley, didn’t answer questions about the accident or about his use of alcohol as they left the courthouse. Hanley said they had nothing to say to the family of the victim.