Victim’s bike brought in court in the trail of a hit-and-run suspect

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Pedro Silva-Diaz, left, and Shayden Colvin. (Mugshot via Collier County Sheriff’s Office; Colvin photo via family)

The state is making its case against a man they call a “hit and run killer.” Prosecutors in Collier County said Pedro Silva-Diaz hit a 13-year-old riding his bike in 2017 and kept on going.

It is a horrible day that a mom relives every day. Eighteen months later, the man Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies said took her son away from her is on trial.

“I know I’m not the first parent who’s lost their child,” said Nikki Colvin, the victim’s mother. “I, unfortunately, won’t be the last.”

We interviewed an emotional Colvin almost a year ago after a driver hit and killed her son Shayden as he was riding his bike. Now, he is in court eight months later, sitting silently. It is day two of the trial of Silva-Diaz.

The crux of the case is whether Silva-Diaz knew he hit Colvin. He told investigators at the time he thought his tire had a nail in it.

The state, led by Mara Marzano, argues Silva-Diaz had to know he hit the teenager. Marzano focused on the mangled bike and its reflective gear, even bringing up the witness who found it.

“It’s the bicycle I turned over to the sheriff’s office,” the witness said.

The family is visibly upset, seeing the bike in the courtroom. The other focus is the intersection. The state brought up the deputy who canvassed the scene after the crash and used his account to show the jury the visible stop signs, even at night when the incident happened.

We have yet to hear from Diaz-Silva’s defense attorney, Lee Hollander. We do not know if the defendant will speak. But attorneys on both sides said this trial could continue until Friday.

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