Dallas suspect charged in deadly hit-and-run crash

Police said Billy Ray Williamson was traveling at a high rate of speed when he lost control of his SUV. The car hit a curb, a traffic signal pole, and rolled across the road before crashing into a Toyota Corolla waiting at a red light at the intersection of Jim Miller and Bruton Roads.

DALLAS - Police have charged a 26-year-old man in a deadly hit-and-run that killed a woman Wednesday morning. Investigators said he lied to police about the crash he caused.

Billy Ray Williamson faces a charge of collision involving death in connection to the crash in Pleasant Grove.

Billy Williamson (Source: Dallas County Jail)

Police said Williamson was traveling at a high rate of speed when he lost control of his SUV. The car hit a curb, a traffic signal pole, and rolled across the road before crashing into a Toyota Corolla waiting at a red light at the intersection of Jim Miller and Bruton Roads.

Maria Guerrero, the 42-year-old driver of the Toyota, later died at a hospital. Her family said she was on her way home from work, and less than a half a mile away from home when she was killed.

"Strong, independent, loving, and caring. I miss her so much," Guerrero’s niece, Marlenne Hernandez said. "She was like a second mom to a lot of us."

Maria Guerrero

Police said Williamson ran from the scene.

Witnesses told police that Williamson climbed out of the window of his car and took off on foot while bleeding from his head, according to an arrest affidavit.

About five hours after the crash, police received a 911 call from a gas station about three miles away from the crash site from a man who claimed he had been robbed at gunpoint and his car had been stolen.

Court documents said when police arrived at the gas station, they found Williamson, whose clothing and injuries matched what witnesses had said about the person who ran from the scene of the deadly crash.

Police said Williamson was not wearing shoes. A rubber boot was found wedged under the driver's side dashboard of the suspect's vehicle, according to an arrest affidavit.

"What kind of person would do that to an innocent person who didn’t deserve that. She was coming from work," Hernandez said.

The 26-year-old suspect also had outstanding warrants in Rockwall.

Williamson is being held at the Dallas County Jail on $50,000 bond.