Household livid Miami Gardens hit-and run driver may get ‘slap on the wrist’ plea deal – NBC 6 South Florida

By Mario McMarland Last updated Jun 7, 2025

A woman charged for leaving the scene of a Miami Gardens crash that caused a woman’s death and injured two others was about to plead guilty on Friday, however, the victim’s family stepped in and urged a Miami-Dade judge to deny the plea deal.

Sharon Cox, 64, is currently under house arrest, but on Friday, she appeared in court after signing a 366-day prison deal negotiated by her attorneys and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

“We had a signed contract. A signed plea agreement from both the state and defense for basically 10 years. It was going to be 366 days in prison. Followed by one year of community control. Followed by eight years of probation,” said Andrew Rier, Cox’s attorney.

However, the plea deal collapsed and was labeled a slap on the wrist by those impacted by Cox’s reckless driving. Sixty-seven-year-old Patricia Garner’s family told a judge that Cox deserved more prison time.

Family Photo, NBC6

Patricia Garner was killed in a hit-and-run in Miami Gardens.

Garner, a mother and grandmother, was heading out from a community service center when she was run over and killed. Garner’s oldest son and a center employee were also hit and survived.

Miami Gardens Police officials said the incident happened around 11:20 a.m. in July of 2023 at the 16400 block of Northwest 25th Avenue.

According to the arrest report, Cox was driving out of a parking lot when she struck the three pedestrians and fled the scene.

“It was not shocking to hear the last act on earth was trying to help her family during a financial difficulty. What is shocking, however, is watching the system that she paid into as a taxpayer, raised a family, and was being a productive citizen, fail her so miserably,” Alisha Searcy, Garner’s niece, said in a hearing Friday while urging for a judge to deny Cox’s plea deal.

If a judge denies the plea deal, Cox could head to trial, where the most she is facing if convicted will be up to 40 years in prison. The minimum she will need to do is four years in prison.

Miami-Dade Corrections

Sharon Leola Cox

“I believe that she should spend 12 years in prison. One year for each hour she stayed at home, likely watching the news coverage, watching my family desperately look for answers. I believe she deserves to sit in prison enough time to learn compassion,” Searcy said.

Judge Rodriguez told the victims’ families he will think about the deal over the weekend and encouraged them to do the same. Rodriguez warned about the risks if Cox heads to trial, where a future jury could either convict her or find her not guilty.

Rodriguez mentioned a March 2025 case that NBC6 reported exclusively on, where a Miami Gardens man was acquitted of shooting his ex-girlfriend several times. The man was willing to take a 20-year prison deal, but the victim stepped in and demanded more prison time. A judge eventually denied the plea deal, and the man headed to trial, where he was eventually set free after the jury’s verdict.

Rodriguez said he could have a ruling on the deal on Monday.