‘It’s a tragedy all around’: Victim’s family speak out after hit-and-run suspect arrested

MURRAY, Utah (ABC4) — Two months ago, Kimberely Jean Jespersen was fatally struck by two different vehicles that both fled the scene. Her family says they are shocked and still grieving, now that a suspect has been arrested.

Shortly after 11 p.m. on July 31, 53-year-old Kimberley Jean Jespersen was hit by a passenger car turning east from State Street in what police have called a ‘minor collision’.

While Jespersen was speaking to the driver of this car, a truck driver approached the intersection. The truck driver swerved to avoid the passenger car and hit Jespersen, critically injuring her. Then, both vehicles left the area. Kimberely Jespersen was transported to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.

Jespersen’s daughter, Nastasha Dickison, was celebrating her birthday on July 31st when she learned that her mother was in the hospital in critical condition. For several months, she has had little information and few answers about her mother’s death until a suspect was arrested this week.

Nathan Michael Portillo, 24, has been arrested in connection with Jespersen’s death and was booked into jail on suspicion of murder and failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving death, among other potential charges.

Reactions to the Arrest

ABC4 spoke with Jespersen’s family to see how they felt about Portillo’s arrest. For Nastasha Dickison, the arrest hasn’t necessarily meant peace.

“I’ve got mixed emotions. Before it happened, I thought it was going to be a huge relief. I would be able to start grieving properly,” Dickison said about the arrest, “But then it happened and honestly, the emotions, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that emotion before. There was joy and sadness [that] somebody else’s life is ruined as well. There’s so many lives ruined, it’s a tragedy all the way around.”

“I’m glad I no longer have to drive down here and look at every vehicle, every truck and think, ‘is that the one that killed my mom’?” Dickison added.

Shilee Cox, the sister of Kimberely Jespersen, said that she hopes the arrest helps her family move forward, but that it has been hard since Jespersen’s death, “I feel like our lives have been stopped all of a sudden and it completely tore my whole family’s lives apart, especially her four kids. It’s been a mess.”

“I know this doesn’t bring my sister back by any means, and we’ll be at all the court hearings and stuff, but I hope this does help us move forward somewhat,” Cox added, before saying, “There’s a family with this guy who’s lost him and has to deal with that as well, but we’re going to be there the whole way.”

Cox added that she hopes to see some remorse from the suspect, “I think maybe that’s what I want to see. I can’t wrap my head around it. I think if she died some other way, it would be easier than this. I want to see what he has to say about this.”

A Frustrating Process

When ABC4 spoke with Dickison last week, she expressed that she was frustrated about the investigation and lack of information from law enforcement and hoped that bringing more awareness to the hit-and-run could garner community tips.

When she got the call that someone had been arrested in connection with her mother’s death, Dickison said she was shocked.

“They’ve been really, really tight-lipped and I see why. I don’t know if it’s been all the exposure, because I feel like it’s been a lifetime since this happened,” Dickison said, “I am happy. I am so thankful that they closed it, that they got him. I didn’t expect it to happen from the communication that I had. I did not expect his name to show up on the Caller ID yesterday.”

Shilee Cox also noted that she’s been worried due to a lack of communication from law enforcement.

“They’ve been really good, but they haven’t given us very much info. I thought maybe, because she was who she was, they were just going to let it go, just let it drift off,” Cox added, “And then, seeing all the other hit-and-run incidents that have happened since then, it’s been real frustrating.”

Notably, a private investigator, Chris Bertram, said that cases like Jespersen’s can take a year or more to solve but urged families not to give up.

Grieving a mother and sister

While the arrest has provided some answers to Dickison and Cox, they are still left to grieve both a mother and a sister.

“They took so much from me and so many years… My birthday is ruined forever,” Dickison said.

Dickison added that her mother had left her a message just days before she was killed where she discussed birthday plans and mentioned that she was not going to be around much longer, “It just breaks my heart. We never thought ten days was ‘much longer’. It’s just crazy how fast it goes.”

Jespersen’s family often visits her gravesite, but Dickison noted that her kids are too young and don’t understand why their grandma is gone. The full impact of grief hasn’t fully hit other family members either.

Photos of Kimberely Jespersen and her family. Courtesy: Nastasha Dickison via GoFundMe

“We’ve been such a tight knit family and leaned on each other for everything, but that’s kind of not so good now,” Cox added, “I’m the next thing in line for a mom for her kids, but I’m trying to deal with my sister dying as well…It’s like an atomic bomb hit our family.”

Shilee Cox also said that she will often pick up clothes for her sister while shopping or will go to call her sister before remembering that her sister is no longer there. She also regularly messages Kimberely on Facebook as if she was still here.

“I would just tell her that I love her, I love her so much. I try to take every single day as this is the last time that I’m going to see this person, the last time I’m going to talk to this person, because you never know when it is the last time,” Cox said, “I was kind of tough on her right before she died and I can never go back and tell her ‘I’m sorry I just love you and want better for you’.”

“I read her text messages, and her last message was to me for my happy birthday. I love her and I miss her,” Dickison added, “I almost feel like she let us kids down and she didn’t. She fought so hard.”

Public Plea for Change

Notably, the first driver to hit Jespersen has not been caught, which has also been frustrating for Nastasha Dickison. While she acknowledged those who did help her mom and those who have helped the family, she provided the following plea to the public:

I sincerely hope all the vehicles involved in this tragedy are held fully accountable. No one involved in or who witnesses such a horrific event should ever choose to just drive away. Like six cars drove away from my mom, like drove around her, which should never happen. Whether you’re behind the wheel or a bystander leaving the scene of a tragedy, it is absolutely inexcusable. Every person on the road is loved by someone: a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend. The decision to leave somebody behind in their final moments is devastating beyond words.

As a community and a society, we must do better. It breaks my heart to know how many vehicles drove by while my mom lay in the middle of the street. No family should ever, ever have to deal with the pain and trauma that we are going through. There is absolutely no excuse. There needs to be more accountability in the state, and it is not fair, it is not right. You don’t just drive away from that, no matter where you’re at.”
Natasha Dickson