Suspect In Palm Springs Deadly Hit And Run Pleads Not Guilty

PALM SPRINGS, CA — A 28-year-old man suspected in a fatal hit-and-run collision last year in Palm Springs pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one felony count of hit-and-run resulting in death.

Cody Jay Hamilton was charged with the felony count on July 25 and pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to court records. His next court appearance was scheduled for Nov. 6.

Officers responded July 29, 2022, to a pedestrian-versus-vehicle collision in the area of East Ramon Road and El Placer Road, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

The victim was identified only as "David J." and he succumbed to his injuries on Aug. 5, 2022 at the Desert Regional Medical Center, according to court papers.

Police said that after investigators recovered parts at the site and watched video surveillance footage, the suspect vehicle was described as a dark- colored sedan, which was subsequently found at a residence in Cathedral City, where Hamilton was identified as the alleged driver.

An arrest warrant was issued for Hamilton on Aug. 10 and the department's traffic division found and arrested him Aug. 24 in Cathedral City, according to police.

According to court papers, Hamilton told police he was driving westbound on Ramon Road at around 3 a.m. July 29, 2022, when he struck a shopping cart in the roadway but didn't stop at the scene because that's all he thought it was.

Hamilton allegedly added that he kept driving, stopped on El Cielo Road to check his vehicle for damage but did not report it to police or his insurance, and did not go back to the scene of the collision because "he was running late to work," according to court papers. The defendant allegedly only told his mother about the collision when she questioned him about the damage to his car later that day.

Court papers say that a woman, who was at a gas station on Ramon Road about 50 yards from the area of the collision, told an officer that she heard a loud crashing and slapping noise before hearing groaning noises from the pedestrian who was struck.

She said she allegedly saw the vehicle reverse and stop briefly before quickly driving off westbound on Ramon Road and that she believes the driver knew he struck someone, according to court papers.

According to police, the community's response to the department's efforts to gather more information was "remarkable" as a tip helped investigators with the case.

According to inmate records, Hamilton was released from the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on Aug. 25 on a $75,000 bail bond. He has no previous felony convictions in Riverside County.