A Contra Costa County woman is in custody after allegedly running over and killing a woman who she thought was stealing packages in her neighborhood, police say.
San Pablo police came upon a pedestrian who had been struck by a driver on the 1100 block of Broadway Avenue on the afternoon of Dec. 8, the department said in a press release. The pedestrian, a 60-year-old woman, had “major injuries” and underwent surgery at a trauma center; she never recovered and died on Dec. 23 of her injuries.
The driver, identified by San Pablo police as Dene Blakely, 39, allegedly exchanged heated words with the victim before intentionally striking the pedestrian with her vehicle. Blakely believed the woman was “someone who had previously stolen a package from her residence, and confronted the victim as she walked in the 1100 block of Broadway Avenue,” police said.
According to a LinkedIn profile that matches Blakely’s name and photo, she previously worked as a processing clerk for the U.S. Postal Service and was briefly an office assistant for the Oakland Police Department. Her LinkedIn lists her as “unemployed” for the last five years.
Blakely is being held at the West County Detention Facility on suspicion of murder. Her next court date is Jan. 30. The investigation is still active, and people can call in tips to the San Pablo Police Department at 510-215-3150.