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Volunteer firefighter pleads not guilty in hit-and-run death of woman killed while walking her dog

Police were focused on finding a Ram pick up, with specific features. That led them to a traffic stop of 22-year-old Declan Kot.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Update as of July 15 at 1:53 p.m.

The former Sacred Heart University student charged in a hit and run death that occurred on July 4 made his first appearance at Fairfield Superior Court in Bridgeport Wednesday.

Declan Kot, 22, pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges.

Marileidy Morel Araujo, 32, of Pennsylvania was killed in the hit and run.

FOX61 obtained the arrest warrant for Kot that detailed the following:

  • Kot said he was drinking in Black Rock (Bridgeport) earlier in the day;
  • Kot claims he saw the victim, heard a loud bang that scared him, but ultimately thought he hit a tree branch;
  • Later learned a woman had been killed by a hit and run driver in Fairfield;
  • Kot admitted he replaced the side mirror a few days later;
  • Kot admitted he had a large American flag flying off the back of his white Ram pickup truck which Fairfield PD used to identify in numerous home video cams

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Fairfield Police arrested the man they believe is responsible for the hit and run death of a Pennsylvania woman out walking her dog early Saturday night. And, surveillance footage, from homes and businesses, played a key role in the arrest of the college student.

Wednesday night, Fairfield police arrested 22-year-old Declan Kot of Easton and hit him with multiple charges, including misconduct with a motor vehicle, which could result in a 20 year prison sentence, in connection with the hit and run death 32-year-old Marileidy Morel Araujo on Redding Rd. Saturday night.

"It’s unfathomable that as a first responder you leave somebody there to die," said Dr. Denise Fernandez, whose brother was the victim's fiance.

Kot, a volunteer firefighter, is also an elected constable in Easton.

"We started to scour for surveillance videos that we were able to obtain with a vehicle in the same time frame that we believe the accident happened that represented some of what the witness gave us," said Fairfield Police Capt. Robert Kalamaras.

Police focused on finding a White Dodge pick up, with specific features. That led them to a traffic stop of Kot Tuesday afternoon.

"There’s more distinct things that we were able to obtain from surveillance footage, such as placards on the vehicle, that gave us some specificity as to the type of vehicle and the type of rims that it had."

Police said Kot had already fixed the passenger side mirror that hit Mari Morel Araujo in the head as she walked her dog in front of her future sister in law's home.

The victim was due to be married before the end of the year.

"My brother is a retired state trooper," said Fernandez. "So, he goes back-and-forth. He goes from trooper mode to an emotional mess."

Fernandez also noted her brother is still recovering from COVID-19, which kept him hospitalized for two months.

It took Fairfield Police almost a day and half from the time they stopped Kot until they received a signed arrest warrant. They characterized the former Sacred Heart University student's demeanor as cooperative.

"We were able to extract some of that information and apply to what we already knew, which helped the investigation along," Kalamaras said.

Police would not say if Kot admitted to hitting the woman or if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident.

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