Tulsa, OK - 74-year-old Beverly Duffield was struck and killed while riding her bike in west Tulsa.  Investigators say, 28-year-old Roberto Torres is responsible.  They say the undocumented man from Mexico fled the scene, but was picked up by police a short time later.

Police tell NewsChannel 8, Torres was going east on I-244 when he exited the highway at 17th Street.  They say, he didn't stop at the stop sign at the end of the ramp and that's where he struck Duffield.

A small memorial to mark the end of a very big life.  Local cyclist Beverly Duffield was hit and killed Tuesday morning as she rode along a stretch of road in West Tulsa.

And just take a look over here and you will see the latest addition to the memorial:  a bicycle, spray painted white and chained to a sign.  It shows concern for the victim, but tonight there is also growing concern over the suspect, an un-documented man from Mexico.  There are fears that, if convicted, 28-year old Roberto Torres will be immediately deported - without being punished for his crimes by doing jail time here in Tulsa.

One viewer writes:  "I think he needs to go to prison for awhile rather than the free ticket to Mexico."

Tulsa County D-A Tim Harris says it's all part of due process.  "He's in custody on leaving the scene of a fatal accident which is a felony punishable by ten years in prison and a ten thousand dollar fine," says Harris.

First comes the arrest, then charges filed, then a trial, and, if there is a conviction, prison.  Only when that sentence is complete and an illegal alien is released does the issue of deportation come up.

"When they get done with him, then the folks at the Tulsa County Jail will decide whether deportation is appropriate," says Harris.

So, it looks like Roberto Torres will be here in Tulsa for some time to come and his trial probably won't even begin until sometime in 2010.

Right now, there are 210 illegal aliens in the Tulsa County Jail, which is about 8% of it's total population.

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