Billy Joe Pitts v. State of Florida

While driving a 1997 Isuzu Rodeo, Billy Joe Pitts struck and killed a woman just outside Pensacola’s Relax Inn. Pitts was convicted of driving with a suspended license (the felony variety) and leaving the scene of a crash involving death (also a felony). This is his appeal.

Pitts’s version of events shifted over time. According to police, Pitts initially denied involvement altogether, saying someone took the car without his knowledge. Pitts later admitted he was in the Isuzu that night, but insisted a man named Stefan 1 was driving. And at some point, Pitts acknowledged he knew the Isuzu hit…