Second fatal hit and run suspect returned to Mississippi
Oct. 20—OXFORD — A Tennessee man wanted in connection with a fatal hit and run in Oxford waived extradition and was returned to Mississippi to face charges.
Tristan Holland, 18, of Collierville, Tennessee, was formally charged Thursday with accessory after the fact to manslaughter. During his initial appearance in Lafayette County Justice Court, his bond was set at $25,000.
According to records at the Lafayette County Detention Center, Holland was booked into the jail Oct. 20 at 11:11 a.m. After being photographed and fingerprinted, he posted bond and was released from the jail at 12:06 p.m.
Holland and Seth Garron Rokitka, 24, are charged in connection with a fatal hit and run behind the Oxford City Hall in the early morning hours of Oct. 16 that killed one Ole Miss student and critically injured another.
Oxford police responded Sunday around 1:15 a.m. to the parking lot behind Oxford City Hall. Passersby reported through 911 calls that two people had been injured after being struck or run over by a Toyota Tundra pickup driven by Rokitka. First responders from the Oxford police and fire departments responded almost immediately and began tending to the two victims.
Walker Fielder, a junior from Madison, and Blanche Williamson, a sophomore from Raleigh, North Carolina, were transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital North Mississippi in Oxford. Fielder died from his injuries. Williamson suffered critical injuries and was eventually transferred to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. She is now in stable condition and beginning her recovery.
Police have not released any details of the incident but did dispel some of the rumors on social media.
According to Lt. Hildon Sessums, Rokitka and Holland had no interactions with either victim prior to allegedly striking them with his truck. There were no fights or alterations, and their paths did not cross. In fact, the suspects and the victims were at separate establishments the entire night, police said. Rokitka and Holland did not render aid or call 911, even though they allegedly knew what they had just done, according to Sessums.
Police released security camera images from around the Oxford Square to identify Holland and Rokitka. Holland was taken into custody Sunday around 9 p.m. in Shelby County, Tennessee. Rokitka's wrecked truck was found in Marshall County. He was taken into custody Monday around 8:30 a.m.
During his initial appearance in Lafayette County Justice Court the same day, Rokitka was charged with manslaughter, aggravated driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury. Bond was set at $1 million.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Oxford police at 662-232-2400 or Crime Stoppers at 662-234-8799.
