Widow of deadly chase victim: '[Trevon] McMorris stole everything from us'
Jose Salcido, 50, was struck and killed by Trevon McMorris, 27, on May 1 while McMorris was attempting to flee from police. (Hennepin County Attorney's Office / FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Trevon McMorris, 27, of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for causing the death of 50-year-old Jose Angel Madrid Salcido while fleeing police in Minneapolis earlier this year.
On May 1, McMorris was trying to flee police after a possible drug deal when he crashed into another vehicle, killing Madrid Salcido.
At the sentencing, Madrid Salcido’s widow, Martha Perea Orozco, read a victim impact statement, telling McMorris she cannot forgive him for what he did.
FULL VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT
My name is Martha Cecilia Perea Orozco. I am the wife of Jose Angel Madrid Salcido, or Angel, as we called him. Angel was the man, the human being who lost his life because of the decisions that Mr. McMorris made, on Wednesday May 1st of 2019. For me it is important that the Defendant know who Angel was and how his decisions have affected my life, the life of my daughter, and the lives of the rest of Angel’s family.
That Wednesday, McMorris decided that his criminal business was more important than the safety and lives of others; he put in danger many lives, and ended the life of my beloved husband, a marvelous man who was hard-working, calm and quiet, uncomplicated, humble, generous, friendly…That Wednesday McMorris not only took the life of my husband, who adored me. He took the life of Angel, a human being who was totally devoted to his family. He was the best father for Kimberly, and his three older children. He was the best brother, the best son, the loyal friend, the man who believed in God, who had committed his life to being a positive influence over all of us who had the good fortune to know him and love him.
We miss Angel’s smile, his company, things as simple as sitting down at the table, or going for an outing on Sundays, his good days. Or like when he came home at 6 in the evening after a long day at work, he would hug us and started helping me make supper; and after eating we would sit down to watch TV while he pretended to watch, but tiredness would overtake him and he would fall asleep. McMorris stole everything from us, and what is left are beautiful but painful memories because Angel is no longer here.
That Wednesday, Angel did not come home. My daughter and I were walking home after her Karate class, when we saw the chaos from the “accident”; we got closer to see what happened. I was at the point of calling Angel to tell him to choose a different route to come home. I had heard his voice only 30 or 40 minutes before, when he called to say, “My love, I am on my way home. Wait for me.”
Then, when we were close enough, we saw my husband’s car, completely destroyed, only 2 blocks away from our house…
There, in that place, my heart stopped, my daughter hugged me, and my life changed completely.
We still held on to the hope that Angel could be alive, but that hope dissipated at the moment we arrived at the hospital. His body was without life, but his face was intact; when I hugged him his chest was broken, his ribs were broken and his blood soaked through my clothes. The horrible reality invaded my whole soul. At that moment, in addition to the immense pain, I felt like I was dying, I felt the emptiness. Thousands of questions filled my mind. Why him? Why to me? Now what? How will I go on? How do I get up? How do I live? How will I support my family when I have not worked before? Angel worked a lot so I would not have to. Angel took care of all the expenses of our home, and he helped his children in Mexico and Arizona.
That day I had to quiet my pain, and put away my tears, and gather together the strength that I did not have to make funeral arrangements and everything involved in saying goodbye to the love of my life, the father of my daughter, and in this awful way, so fast, so unexpected, so soon, so cruel.
And the future? Disappeared. The plans we had? Changed. Angel could not get to know his first grandson, who was born in Arizona a little after his tragic death. Angel will not be in Kimberly’s life, she will not have her dad who protected her, gave her advice, helped her with homework and answered her many questions. He will not be present in the important moments of her life, for her quinceañera, for her wedding.
Angel and I will not be together until old age like we dreamed.
Life now is routine. Silence. And the only thing that moves me is my immense love for my daughter and the memories I have of Angel. My angel who takes care of me from heaven.
In conclusion, I want McMorris to know that I do not hate him. Because Angel hated no one. However, I cannot forgive him.
Yes, after my husband’s death a few positive things have happened.
I have discovered my inner strength. I have not hesitated to do work that I never thought I would do, like join the group that my husband worked for doing taping and painting. Kimberly and I go to work with the “crew” and we remember my husband while we work in construction on weekends. I work as an employee for a family in St. Paul during the week, but it hurts me that I am not home when my daughter gets home from school.
I have had the immense support from my community, from the church, from the Minneapolis Police Department and from Hennepin County.
I have felt the infinite love of my husband who is with us all of the time, in our minds and in our hearts.
However, this does not take away for a single minute the great pain and suffering that I feel every second of every day, and that I know will never go away. McMorris took away my husband, I miss him every day and my love for him will never run out because I feel him here with me. He shows himself to me in the form of a beautiful day, the smile of my daughter, or a star in the sky. Angel continues to guide me. That is the only thing that McMorris will not be able to take from me. I will not let him take away anything more than what he has already taken from me. Not today, not tomorrow, nor in 100 years. Angel will always be my husband, the love of my life, the dad to my daughter, my guide, my inspiration, my reason for living.
As for McMorris, I want him to serve his sentence and think, reflect about how his mistakes have changed his life, his family’s life, my family’s life, and that of others who he has hurt because of his criminal activities and his desire to make money without considering the consequences. This sentence, whether short or long, will not return my husband to me. Sometimes I think I would give anything to be able to visit Angel in a jail, and to not have his ashes in a jar. McMorris took away Angel’s life and our happiness. But Mr. McMorris still has his life and the opportunity to be a better man. For the sake of his mother, for the sake of his children , Take advantage of this opportunity!, so that Angel’s death will not be in vain. Make a change from today forward! And may God forgive you, because I cannot.