Family holds vigil for Brockton mother killed in hit-and-run crash
Michelle Maxwell, 55, was struck while crossing the street near Brockton Hospital.
The family of a 55-year-old woman who was struck and killedin a hit-and-run on Tuesday night gathered for a vigil near the site of the crash to remember her, Boston 25 News reports.
According to the station, family members said Michelle Maxwell was walking her dog when she was struck by an SUV as she crossed the street near Brockton Hospital. Her husband of 18 years, Rev. Robert Maxwell, held the vigil outside the hospital on Wednesday to the mother of two and stepmother.
“Every night we walk the dog, it’s usually her in the evening,” he said, according to Boston 25.
Michelle Shelley was 55y/o. A mother of 2, a wife,& was loved by the Brockton community. The man accused of running her over faced murder/manslaughter charges in 1990. He spent 14years behind bars for that. Tonight, family members are hoping justice is served. pic.twitter.com/o0F2ztXcri
— Malini Basu (@MaliniBasu_) August 13, 2020
Rev. Robert Maxwell in the purple shirt is a courageous man. He lost his beautiful wife 24hours ago in front of Brockton Hospital. She was out walking the dog. When a hit and run driver took her life. 💔 pic.twitter.com/xUXGhARGR3
— Malini Basu (@MaliniBasu_) August 13, 2020
Allen T. Perkins, 57, of Brockton, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Brockton District Court on one count of leaving the scene of a crash causing death in connection with Maxwell’s death. He pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $2,500, according to the Plymouth district attorney’s office.
Authorities say a 911 call reporting the hit-and-run near 680 Centre St. came in to police around 9 p.m. Maxwell was transported to Brockton Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators determined a dark SUV was traveling east on Centre Street when it struck Maxwell. The vehicle turned right onto Sterling Road, leaving the scene. According to the DA’s office, Perkins walked into the Brockton Police Department around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday saying he’d been involved in a crash on Centre Street.
The 57-year-old told police he’d gone out to pick up some food and believed he had struck a traffic cone and returned home without picking up his food.
“Perkins told police that he searched online and discovered information about the crash on Centre Street,” the DA’s office said. “Investigators found that Perkins then moved his vehicle from his home to a nearby parking lot before he reported to the Brockton Police station.”
According to the Brockton Enterprise, Perkins posted his bail a few hours after his arraignment on Wednesday, agreeing to the conditions of his release.
Perkins served a 15- to 20-year prison sentence for manslaughter starting in 1990, a charge that had been downgraded in Suffolk Superior Court from homicide, according to the newspaper.
Outside the courthouse, Robert Maxwell told the Enterprise the bail amount was an “injustice.”
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