COQUILLE — He hit them, he didn’t stop and then he hid his pickup truck. And the next morning, he went to work.

It wasn’t until the story of the crash hit the paper and police began asking questions that Noe Garcia Moncada decided to flee to Mexico. And despite the numerous apologies Garcia Moncada made in court, Judge Martin Stone said the North Bend man showed no true remorse for the deaths of Dallas and Marilyn Vance.

“Clearly, there were two individuals that were injured as a result of that tragedy,” Stone told Garcia Moncada, 30, who stood before the court with interpreter Dori Schwartz and Public Defender Carole Hamilton. Drivers are required to stop and render assistance, the judge said. “In this particular case (you) failed to do so.

“I’m also convinced, based on what I read ... the defendant lacked sympathy for the victims of his criminal activity.”

After making these comments during a sentencing hearing Friday morning at the Coos County Courthouse, Stone sentenced Garcia Moncada to the severest punishment possible for striking and fleeing the site of an accident without providing aid to the victims — two consecutive 36-month sentences in the state penitentiary; a total of six years in prison.

Garcia Moncada will be placed on two years of parole and have a five-year driving suspension if he remains in the country. A citizen of Mexico, Garcia Moncada also faces deportation.

His charges stem from an Oct. 16 incident in which the Vances were run down in the parking lot of the Pony Village Mall by Garcia Moncada in his Dodge 1500 pickup truck as they walked to the Comfort Inn from the Pony Village Cinema. Garcia Moncada had just left work at a nearby Mexican restaurant when he hit the Springfield couple. They were both alive when emergency responders arrived at the scene. Marilyn Vance was pronounced dead at Bay Area Hospital. Dallas Vance was airlifted to Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center in Portland, where he died on Oct. 21.

Garcia Moncada was arrested on Oct. 20, in Tustin, Calif., and on Dec. 21, he pleaded guilty to two counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person.

In court Friday, Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said Garcia Moncada acted selfishly, thinking only of himself rather than for the welfare of the Vances.

“He was going on with his life as if nothing happened,” Frasier said.

This lack of concern was evident in Garcia Moncada’s actions and words, the DA said, including the fact that beyond failing to stop to render assistance, he didn’t bother to make an anonymous 911 call to get the Vances help. He lied to his brother and employer that he was heading north and instead fled to Mexico. And he made comments to law enforcement in California and Oregon after his arrest that indicated a lack of remorse.

“He almost made it (to Mexico). Had it not been for the excellent police work that occurred in the case, he would have made it,” Frasier said, noting if Garcia Moncada had reached the border, it would have been exceedingly difficult to prosecute him.

This lack of sympathy and concern by Garcia Moncada was the basis of Frasier’s argument for giving the man a maximum sentence and for the judge to overturn a demurrer submitted by Hamilton. A demurrer is a document or challenge a defendant can file against a pleading the state filed. It typically states that the indictment is somehow flawed.

Hamilton filed a demurrer against departure sentencing allegations on Jan. 15 to prevent her client from receiving more than a presumptive sentence of 16 to 18 months. One allegation that would allow Garcia Moncada to get a longer sentence was proving his lack of remorse. Hamilton said that the wording of the allegation was vague, and that his lack of consideration was inherent in the crime itself and he should not receive additional time because of it.

Frasier replied that she filed the demurrer in an untimely manner, as it is supposed to be submitted at the time of arraignment or as soon as possible, and that the wording of the allegation is not difficult for a reasonable person to understand.

“If you commit a crime and you don’t show remorse ... you are entitled to receive an enhanced sentence,” Frasier said.

Hamilton said her client was law-abiding for the most part, had no other criminal convictions, had a valid Oregon driver’s license and insurance, had waived extradition in California, had admitted responsibility and had no history of having ever been deported. She noted Garcia Moncada has been married 12 years, has four children who live with his wife in Mexico, was holding down two jobs prior to his arrest, loved to play soccer and was a good employee.

“He’s a young man who made a mistake, your honor. A bad mistake,” Hamilton told Stone. “This was a tragic accident.”

Hamilton then called up Maria Martinez, a friend of Garcia Moncada’s, who said he played soccer with her son. A coworker for two years, Martinez described Garcia Moncada as a good worker and friend.

“I’m very sorry for both sides, but he’s a very good person. I know that he’s never wanted to hurt anyone,” Martinez said.

Then, shackled and dressed in an orange Coos County jail jumpsuit, Garcia Moncada addressed the court. In a soft-spoken voice, he launched into a number of apologies translated by Schwartz. He first addressed the Vances’ family, who cried through much of the hearing. Members of Garcia Moncada’s family also attended the hearing.

“I’d like to ask them to forgive me. I’m very sorry for what happened,” he said, adding that the rain and the dark night led to the accident and that he never had a problem with the justice system here or in his home country. “I’d like them to not think that the person who did this was a criminal, a drug addict or an alcoholic.

“I’d also like to say that I understand the pain (of the family) of the people who lost their lives.”

Garcia Moncada said he was sorry for leaving the state and the inconvenience he caused the county and North Bend. He thanked his lawyer and his supporters, and apologized to all personnel involved in his arrest and subsequent proceedings.

“... Only God knows why this happened to us,” Garcia Moncada said.

The Vances’ daughter, Jodi Bundy, got up from her seat, walked through the courtroom and took the stand.

“I want to tell you what you have done to my family. You turned our world upside down,” Bundy told Garcia Moncada, her voice shaking with anger as she held back her tears. “You left them there to die, and then you went back to work as if nothing happened.”

She said she hoped he has sleepless nights like she does for what he did.

“I know that someday, that you will have to go before God,” Bundy said.

Her sister, Lori Ulm, cried when she addressed Garcia Moncada and the court. She said that while everyone understands the incident was an accident, fleeing the scene is against the law. She said her parents were giving people — her mother a PTA president and a Girl Scout troop leader; her father a retired U.S. marshal — that Garcia Moncada took from her. She added she didn’t care about Garcia Moncada’s apologies or what nice things his friends and attorney said about him.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of a person he is. He’s a killer ... He’s a coward.”

After listening to testimony, reading submitted letters, reviewing reports and other aspects of the case, Stone said he considered both sides and came to several findings. He then asked Garcia Moncada to stand.

For the two convictions, Stone said, Garcia Moncada would serve two, three-year sentences and he would serve them consecutively. He said Garcia Moncada failed to provide assistance when two people were hurt and attempted to avoid criminal prosecution.

“He did not show any sympathy at that time addressed to the victims,” Stone said.  

He also disagreed with Hamilton’s statements and decided to overturn the demurrer.

“There are substantial and compelling reasons to depart upward from (the) presumptive sentence and I intend to do that,” Stone said.

Garcia Moncada and his defense have 30 days from Friday to appeal the decision, the judge said.

After the hearing, Frasier said he was pleased that Stone agreed to extend Garcia Moncada’s sentence, but wished it  had been longer, as does the family of the Vances.

“They just wish he could have gotten more time,” he said, adding it wouldn’t be a bad thing if Garcia Moncada is deported. “If he stays there and doesn’t come back, we’ll all be happy.”