Woman Sentenced to 9 Years in 2022 Fatal Hit-and-Run That Threw Bicyclist Off SR-520 Bridge

Justice Delivered in Death of Cocoa Bicyclist Killed on SR-520 on June 3, 2022

Anabel Morales, 35, pleaded no contest to the charge of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death in a Brevard County courtroom, according to court records. She received a nine-year prison sentence as part of the plea agreement.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — A 35-year-old woman was sentenced to nearly a decade in prison on Friday for her role in a June 2022 hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist and sent his body plunging into the Indian River, authorities said.

Anabel Morales pleaded no contest to the charge of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death in a Brevard County courtroom, according to court records. She received a nine-year prison sentence as part of the plea agreement.

The deadly incident occurred on June 3, 2022, on the State Road 520 causeway, a stretch that connects the mainland to Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral.

Florida Highway Patrol reports show that 56-year-old Stephan Morf was riding his bicycle westbound toward home in Cocoa when a vehicle struck him from behind.

The force of the collision caused Morf to fall over the edge of the elevated roadway, dropping an estimated 30 to 50 feet into the Indian River below.

Morf’s body was later recovered from the water by crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said.

Surveillance footage obtained from a nearby 7-Eleven store captured Morf riding toward the causeway just minutes before the crash.

Morales was not immediately arrested after the crash and was sought by law enforcement for months.

She was eventually taken into custody in connection with the fatal collision late in 2022. Initially entering a not guilty plea, she later changed her plea to no contest as part of a negotiated sentencing deal, court records show.

The case highlights ongoing concerns about bicycle and pedestrian safety on Florida’s roadways, where vulnerable road users face significant risks. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, state traffic safety plans and enforcement efforts continue to prioritize reducing fatal and serious injury crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists.

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