Florida public defender who’s married to tycoon escapes with light sentence for crushing student to death

Veronica Bilbao de la Vega, 38, of Miami, evaded jail time on Thursday for the death of Danny Bishop, 22

Bilbao de la Vega struck and killed Bishop in Coral Gable on March 5, 2024, while he was riding his scooter on the sidewalk to school – as she was attempting to make a turn

She had a green light and the walk sign was on – she hit him going 17 mph on the crosswalk

Ticketed for not yielding to a pedestrian and for driving with a driver’s license that expired in 2020, she pled no contest

Sentenced to probation, de la Vega will serve six months on probation and will do 500 hours of community service tutoring underprivileged children

Ultimately she avoided the maximum sentence of 60 days in jail which was substituted with the probationary sentencing

Victim’s family have signaled that they intend to file a civil suit against their son’s killer

Veronica Bilbao de la Vega, a 38-year-old public defender in Miami, evaded jail time on Thursday for the death of college student Danny Bishop whom she ran over last year March, while driving on an expired license. She kept her head down and did not speak as she was sentenced 

A public defender in Florida has been sentenced to half a dozen months probation after admitting court to crushing a 22-year-old University of Miami student on a crosswalk with her truck, while driving on a license that had expired fours earlier. 
38-year-old Veronica Bilbao de la Vega, a public defender for over a decade in Miami, evaded jail time on Thursday for the death of college student Danny Bishop.
de la Vega struck and killed Bishop on March 5, 2024, while he was riding his scooter across the crosswalk near LeJeune Road and Altara Avenue in Coral Gable on his way to school. She had been attempting to make a turn. 
She hit him going 17 mph while driving on an expired license. She had a green light and the walk sign was on. 
Both front tires ran over Miller, a senior mathematics and psychology major at UM, who died at the scene.

Victim: Bilbao de la Vega driving a black Cadillac Escalade, struck and killed University of Miami student Danny Bishop [L-R], in Coral Gable on March 5, 2024, while he was riding his scooter on the crosswalk to school. She had been attempting to make a turn

Bilbao de la Vega was ticketed for not yielding to a pedestrian at a crosswalk and for driving with a driver’s license that expired in 2020.
In court she pled no contest, appearing emotional when an officer testified that both wheels of her Escalade ran over the college student. 
The victim’s parents both were distraught and dissatisfied after the apparent pithy judgement: ‘And this woman didn’t even have a valid driver’s license, and she’s gonna get community service,’ Susan Bishop said after the court proceedings. 

Veronica, seen [photo], with wealthy real estate mogul husband Daniel Bilbao de la Vega, will serve six months on probation and will do 500 hours of community service tutoring underprivileged children after admitting that she ran over Danny Bishop

‘How can a lawyer, a mother, a community member drive knowingly with an expired license, not be careful when watching the road in front of her, and killing an innocent pedestrian on a crosswalk?’  
The public defender was sentenced to probation, evading the maximum sentence of 60 days in jail. She will serve six months on probation and will do 500 hours of community service tutoring underprivileged children, according to the outlet. 
She will also have to complete a driving course and pay court costs for the traffic infraction. 

de la Vega testified during trial that she checked for traffic on her left before turning right and did not see any one on the crosswalk. She hit Bishop going 17 mph while driving on an expired license. She had a green light and the walk sign was on

Her husband, Daniel de la Vega, the CEO of a prominent real estate company, begged the court to consider his wife’s character before sentencing her. 
‘I want the court to know this accident has deeply affected Veronica. The moment I arrived at the scene, Veronica was inconsolable, she was shaking uncontrollably,’ Daniel said. 
‘From that day forward your honor, she has not been the same person. She prays with rosary every night seeking solace for not only herself but her family.’ 
Susan Bishop does not believe justice has been served, saying: ‘There’s no way to enact any real justice, and the punishment will never fit the crime.’ 

‘From that day forward your honor, she has not been the same person.’ Leniency seeking Daniel de la Vega, the CEO of a prominent real estate company, begged the court to consider his wife’s character before sentencing her.

‘There’s no way to enact any real justice, and the punishment will never fit the crime’ : Victim’s mom Susan Bishop, [photo], does not believe justice has been served

‘It’s terrible to live like this, on and on,’ Bishop’s father, Jason, said.
The victim’s family plans on filing a civil lawsuit against Bilbao de la Vega soon, according to their Attorney Robert Boyers. 
‘Criminal law has limitations in terms of holding negligent parties accountable, even when that negligence resulted in catastrophic loss. 
The prosecutors’ hands were tied, but ours are not, and we intend to hold the defendant fully accountable in the civil justice system,’ Boyers said.