Family and friends of Adrian Cruz voice frustration in sentencing of fatal crash
Posted: Mar 26, 2026 9:45 PM EDT
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Friends and family of Adrian Cruz voiced frustration at the South Bend Courthouse on Thursday with the sentencing of Thomas McCoy.
In October 2025, Cruz was found dead on Pine Road, after McCoy struck him with his vehicle.
McCoy was charged with an OWI and was sentenced Thursday to probation following a plea deal.
Devin Patton, a family friend of Adrian Cruz, stated, "I feel like no man should walk free or walk away with probation for taking a life when he was already doing something illegal in the first place. I grew up with his family. I grew up with him and his family. I watched him get older. I watched his daughter, you know, grow up a little bit. So, it's kind of sad to see him go, you know, off of recklessness"
Cruz's family and friends called the sentencing a slap on the wrist, saying it sets a bad message going forward.