PALMETTO, Fla. (WFLA) — Prosecutors in Manatee County have dropped all charges against a Palmetto man accused of killing a 13-year-old boy and adult male in a 2019 hit-and-run.
Tyler Pittard,13, and Donald Keefer, 47, were killed on U.S. 19 when Florida Highway Patrol investigators say 50-year-old Zachary Nelson hit them and kept going.
More than four years later, the State Attorney’s Office dropped charges against Nelson, stating they didn’t believe they could prove all charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
“I don’t approve of it, it’s not fair, he never said he was sorry,” said Donna Keefer, Donald Keefer’s mother.
“He should have faced a jury of his peers and let them decide,” said Tammy Fazioli, Tyler Pittard’s grandmother.
It was around 3 a.m. when FHP said the victims were walking with two others along U.S. 19. Investigators say Nelson struck the group, killing Pittard and Keefer and seriously injuring a third victim.
According to an arrest report, Nelson called police the day after the hit-and-run, saying he heard about the tragedy on the news and believed he was responsible. Nelson told detectives he thought he hit an animal.
“I feel that he had the human response of fight or flight and flew — he ran,” said Deborah Balthaser, Donald Keefer’s sister.
A memorandum from the State Attorney’s Office says evidence in the case would not support a conviction.
Nelson’s Attorney, Stephen Romine, sent 8 On Your Side a statement about the decision.
“After a thorough review of all the evidence, it was clear Mr. Nelson did not commit any crime. The initial conclusions relied on to file charges were ultimately determined to be unreliable and contradicted by additional evidence. Mr. Nelson’s belief an animal collided with his truck from the evidence was reasonable. He stopped after the collision and nothing indicated people were involved. Nor would any driver be expected to conclude that a sudden, unknown impact in their lane of travel was from people that put themselves on US 19 at 2:30 a.m. in the dark, on a rainy night, wearing dark clothes, with evidence supporting that the adults were under the influence of drugs and placed a juvenile in such a dangerous situation. The State Attorney’s Office made the right ethical and legal decision in dismissing this case. ” – Stephen Romine