Christina Agado
July 7, 2008 - 9:24PM
By EDWINA P. GARZA, Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN - Leaving the San Benito Funeral Home, Rick Agado said his family still felt numb from the death of their daughter Christina Agado.
"We're holding on," he said.
Christina Agado, a 22-year-old nurse assistant at Valley Baptist Medical Center, died early Sunday, days after she was struck while crossing Business 77 Sunshine Strip on June 28.
A funeral Mass for Agado will be celebrated today at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Harlingen at 10 a.m.
Agado underwent brain surgery last week and was in a drug-induced coma as doctors attempted to slow her brain activity to reduce swelling, Rick Agado said on Sunday.
After speaking with local news media to seek help from the public for information on the hit-and-run, Rick Agado said the family appreciated the support from the community.
"We're going to spend the next few days with family," he said Monday.
Mario Alberto Garza, 18, is being held at the Cameron County Jail in Olmito charged with failure to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony.
Police said Garza, of San Benito, confessed to driving the vehicle that struck Agado.
Garza is being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.
As of Monday, Harlingen police said the charge against Garza had not been upgraded following Agado's death.
"We are keeping close contact with the District Attorney's Office," said Harlingen Police spokeswoman Sgt. Miryam Anderson when asked if charges would be upgraded.
Should there be any change, Anderson said HPD would coordinate with the District Attorney's Office.
DA's spokesman Jason Moody said it's too early to determine if the charge will be upgraded.
"The case is not in our office yet," Moody added.
A third-degree felony is punishable by a maximum jail sentence of 10 years and no less than two years and also includes a fine of up to $10,000.
San Benito police said the vehicle, a white Oldsmobile Intrigue, had been involved in another accident where the car struck a fence and was driven away from the scene.
The June 28 hit-and-run occurred when the Oldsmobile Intrigue struck Agado as she crossed Business 77 Sunshine Strip between the China Star parking lot and Rack Daddy's, Rick Agado said in an earlier interview.
The collision threw Agado into the air and she landed on her head, her father previously said.
On the Internet, Agado's family and friends used MySpace to express their grief.
Friends posted images of Agado as their user photo and placed messages about Agado in their profile headlines.
"She is our angel now," reads the page of Agado's sister Amanda Barrera from Farmington, New Mexico.
Along with a slide show of photographs, Michelle, 24, of Harlingen wrote a blog entry about Agado's death.
"Christina would've loved to know the big deal that everyone was making about her," she wrote.
The funeral Mass will be followed by a burial service at Mont Meta Memorial Park in San Benito.
July 7, 2008 - 9:24PM
By EDWINA P. GARZA, Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN - Leaving the San Benito Funeral Home, Rick Agado said his family still felt numb from the death of their daughter Christina Agado.
"We're holding on," he said.
Christina Agado, a 22-year-old nurse assistant at Valley Baptist Medical Center, died early Sunday, days after she was struck while crossing Business 77 Sunshine Strip on June 28.
A funeral Mass for Agado will be celebrated today at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Harlingen at 10 a.m.
Agado underwent brain surgery last week and was in a drug-induced coma as doctors attempted to slow her brain activity to reduce swelling, Rick Agado said on Sunday.
After speaking with local news media to seek help from the public for information on the hit-and-run, Rick Agado said the family appreciated the support from the community.
"We're going to spend the next few days with family," he said Monday.
Mario Alberto Garza, 18, is being held at the Cameron County Jail in Olmito charged with failure to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony.
Police said Garza, of San Benito, confessed to driving the vehicle that struck Agado.
Garza is being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.
As of Monday, Harlingen police said the charge against Garza had not been upgraded following Agado's death.
"We are keeping close contact with the District Attorney's Office," said Harlingen Police spokeswoman Sgt. Miryam Anderson when asked if charges would be upgraded.
Should there be any change, Anderson said HPD would coordinate with the District Attorney's Office.
DA's spokesman Jason Moody said it's too early to determine if the charge will be upgraded.
"The case is not in our office yet," Moody added.
A third-degree felony is punishable by a maximum jail sentence of 10 years and no less than two years and also includes a fine of up to $10,000.
San Benito police said the vehicle, a white Oldsmobile Intrigue, had been involved in another accident where the car struck a fence and was driven away from the scene.
The June 28 hit-and-run occurred when the Oldsmobile Intrigue struck Agado as she crossed Business 77 Sunshine Strip between the China Star parking lot and Rack Daddy's, Rick Agado said in an earlier interview.
The collision threw Agado into the air and she landed on her head, her father previously said.
On the Internet, Agado's family and friends used MySpace to express their grief.
Friends posted images of Agado as their user photo and placed messages about Agado in their profile headlines.
"She is our angel now," reads the page of Agado's sister Amanda Barrera from Farmington, New Mexico.
Along with a slide show of photographs, Michelle, 24, of Harlingen wrote a blog entry about Agado's death.
"Christina would've loved to know the big deal that everyone was making about her," she wrote.
The funeral Mass will be followed by a burial service at Mont Meta Memorial Park in San Benito.
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