JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A daughter devastated by a tragic loss in a hit-and-run last May finally knows who was driving the car that hit and killed her mother.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested 22-year-old Brandon Fruscella on Thursday and charged him in the hit-and-run accident that killed 55-year-old Paula Abdullah on May 6.
According to the arrest report, Fruscella said he thought he'd hit a mailbox that night, but days later when media reports of Paula Abdullah's death reported police were looking for a black Toyota Tacoma truck, Fruscella called his lawyer. The lawyer contacted police, and DNA evidence from Fruscella's vehicle showed it was the one that hit Paula Abdullah (pictured below).
Her daughter, Sharifah Abdullah, said the last four months have been difficult for her family.
"It's been hard. It's been depressing. It's been a lot of anger," Sharifah Abdullah. "Four months later and he's being arrested. Even though he's being arrested, it doesn't bring justice, so it's been a lot of pain."
Paula Abdullah had been walking home from work along New Berlin Road on the Northside around 9:45 p.m. when she was hit by a vehicle that didn't stop. Her body wasn't found until the next morning.
"The fact that he's saying he hit a mailbox? I'm not believing that. No one is believing that story," Sharifah Abdullah said. "I didn't know a mailbox wore a blue shirt and khaki pants. The mailbox that you thought you hit -- where's that mailbox? You hit my mom, and she flew 80 feet."
Fruscella was charged only with leaving the scene of an accident.
Abdullah said police told her family the investigation found no evidence showing Fruscella tried to cover up the accident.
But the family said now he knows he killed someone, and he should be charged with Paula Abdullah's death.
"They're saying the maximum amount of time he can get is one year in jail. No. You're going to get one year in jail, and my mom is buried 6 feet under?" Sharifah Abdullah said. "No! You need to get at least 10 to 15 years because you took someone's life."
News4Jax spoke to local attorney Gene Nichols about why Fruscella wasn't charged with Paula Abdullah's death.
"You should not be able to get a conviction on leaving the scene of an accident involving death if the individual had no clue that they injured or killed someone, and the State Attorney's Office obviously believed that they are unable to prove that he had that knowledge," Nichols explained. "Which is why the State Attorney's Office only charged him with leaving the scene of an accident."
The family said a roadside memorial has been ordered for the spot where Paula Abdullah died. The family members are also working with an attorney to file a civil lawsuit against Fruscella.
"I'm going to fight for my mom," Sharifah Abdullah said. "She's not here. She's not here to tell me what happened and Brandon Fruscella is the only person who can tell me what happened to my mom."