Greenwich Man Charged in Hit and Run Double Fatality of Stamford Residents

A Greenwich man suspected in the Stamford hit and run fatalities of two restaurant workers in early December has been arrested.

Michael Talbot. Image: Stamford Police Dept Facebook page Jan 5, 2023

On Thursday, Stamford Mayor Mayor Caroline Simmons released a statement regarding the announcement from Stamford Police that Greenwich resident Michael Talbot, 24, the driver in the December 3, 2022 fatal motor vehicle collision which resulted in the deaths of Giovanni Vega-Benis and Yuliana Arias-Lozano, was arrested and taken into custody.

“My thoughts and prayers remain with the families of Giovani Vega-Benis and Yuliana Arias-Lozano. I commend the thoroughness and due diligence that was followed from the start of this investigation, and I am proud of the outstanding work by the officers of the Stamford Police Department, who carried out the arrest warrant and which led to Mr. Talbot being taken into custody,” Simmons said.

The arrest warrant carries the following charges: 

  • Two counts of Manslaughter 2nd degree
  • Two counts of Manslaughter 2nd degree with a motor vehicle
  • Two counts of Felony Evading Responsibility
  • Operating Under the Influence 
  • Reckless Operation

The warrant also carries a $1 million court set bond. 

Stamford Police dept Facebook Dec 5, 2022

Back on Dec 3, Vega-Benis and Arias-Lozano, both 25, of Stamford were struck and killed by a 2022 Mercedes while they were crossing Washington Boulevard at Main Street.

At the time they were crossing the southbound lanes of Washington Boulevard when the Mercedes traveling southbound struck them both. The force of the impact caused both pedestrians to be thrown into the northbound lanes of Washington Blvd.

Vega-Benis and Arias-Lozano had finished work at Cantina Mexicana on Summer Street, and gone to Curley’s Diner to eat. Afterward, they were walking each other home at approximately 2:05am, when they were hit.

Stamford Police said the vehicle continued for a short distance after striking the pedestrians and came to a stop just north of 888 Washington Blvd.

Stamford Police said in a release at the time that Talbot’s vehicle suffered heavy damage, and that Talbot left the vehicle and attempted to flee the scene on foot. Stamford police officers arrived at the scene quickly and witnesses pointed out the direction in which the operator fled. Police located Talbot hiding behind a dumpster in the rear of a building on Relay Pl. He was then detained.

After he was spoken to by police he was transported to Stamford Hospital for claims of minor, non-life threatening injuries, and released.

Both pedestrians were transported to Stamford Hospital where they were pronounced dead from the injuries suffered in the collision.

Sergeant Jeffrey Booth of Stamford Police Dept’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad led the investigation.

Several factors of this collision were investigated including speed and intoxication.

Sergeant Booth had explained that search warrants, lab work, and reconstruction were elements of a fatal investigation that had to be completed before an arrest warrant could be applied for.

The warrant for Talbot’s arrest was signed on Jan 4, 2023.

A statement from Stamford Police on Jan 5 said as soon as the warrant was signed they began to make efforts to take Talbot into custody.

They learned Talbot was in Florida visiting family. With the assistance of Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Naples, he was taken into custody at about 8:15pm and will be held in Florida until he waives extradition and can be transported back to Stamford.

There was an immediate outpouring on social media Thursday night in response to the arrest, with some suggesting the arrest took too long, and others saying the time taken was necessary to create a solid case.

Some comments complained the photo posted by Stamford Police was not a mugshot, but rather a smiling Mr. Talbot, possibly from a driver’s license.

Recently, a petition demanding urging the Connecticut State Attorney file charges for the deaths of the Stamford pedestrians reached almost 30,000 signatures.

The petition questioned whether race played a factor in the perceived delay.

Then, on Dec 28 the Hispanic community gathered for a “walk for justice” to bring attention to the situation.

The wait for charges to be filed were something of a flashback for Greenwich residents to the April 17, 2016 death of a Cos Cob man, Edward Setterberg, 43, who was hit by a Mercedes being driven by Andrew Schmidt, then 17, of Greenwich.

In that case investigators executed 39 separate search warrants and analyzed a significant amount of physical evidence. Greenwich Police systematically conducted a very thorough and comprehensive investigation, and Schmidt was arrested on May 26.

The night of the incident, there were witnesses behind Schmidt’s car who said that he had been operating at a high rate of speed, and sped up when the light on East Putnam Ave at the intersection of Hillside Rd turned yellow. A police officer coming off his shift had stopped and found Mr. Setterberg. Later, Greenwich Police found the Mercedes Schmidt had been driving with its license plates removed and black plastic garbage bags duct-taped over the damage.

While Schmidt was out on bond he got in more trouble, including a charge of Criminal Mischief charge for an incident in which he drove doughnuts in the snow on town property causing damage.

Schmidt was convicted and in December 2018 and sentenced to two years.