Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) –A tragic crash that ended the life of 10 year old Penelope Pizzaro in March of 2023 resulted in the state of NM paying $750,000 to the girls family to settle a lawsuit. The crash happened near Zuni and San Pedro Dr and left the 10 year old girl, Penelope Pizzaro dead and her father, David, severely injured. The vehicle that crashed into the Pizarro’s car was a state owned SUV that had been left with the keys inside at the fairgrounds. The car was stolen by John Bearden Jr who admitted to using meth that day. Bearden was sentenced to 22 years in prison for auto theft, leaving the scene of an accident and vehicular homicide. The Pizzaro family sued the state of NM over the unattended vehicle and claimed that Expo NM failed to train the employee and their security company to prevent the theft from happening.
