BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Thursday was the fifth anniversary of the crash in Broward that killed Danielle Baldwin and Steven Olivert. They were on their way to celebrate the beginning of their 12-year relationship and he was going to ask her to marry him.
Gerard Baldie was driving a black 2016 Kia when he rear-ended Olivert’s green 1996 Nissan at the intersection of East Oakland Park Boulevard and North Federal Highway.
Olivert was 35 and Baldwin was 32. Baldie fled, ran into nearby businesses, and stripped naked. He was treated at Imperial Point Medical Center and it took years for him to surrender.
The families of the victims said their grief comes with frustration since the wheels of justice have been slow. The coronavirus pandemic shutdown exacerbated the delays.
“We want to get over with it,” said Olivert’s mother, Rose Olivert. “We want justice!”
In 2018, prosecutors charged him with two counts of DUI manslaughter, two counts of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of leaving the scene of a crash that ended in a fatality, five counts of DUI property damage, and four counts of leaving the scene of an accident.
The second-degree felony case is before Broward County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Coleman.
Baldie, who was born in Queens, New York, was a medical school student in Iowa and lived in Plantation. Court records show his attorney filed a written plea of not guilty on April 2, 2018, and Baldie posted bond four days later.
Attorneys looked at the evidence and interviewed witnesses through 2019 and there was a hearing scheduled for Jan. 17, 2020. The defense filed a witness list in February and Broward courts shut down in March.
Rose Olivert and Gloria Dudley said they need Baldie to pay for his crime. They said it is the only way they can begin to find some level of closure.
“He killed two people, two innocent people and it’s just not right,” said Baldwin’s mother, Gloria Dudley.
The two mothers said their families have bonded through their grief. They marked the painful anniversary by visiting the memorial marker to place new flowers and balloons.
“It’s like you want to touch your kids. You want to hug them. You want to tell them you love them, and they’re not around,” Rose Olivert said.
Gloria Dudley said she feels the same way.
“I love her and I miss her so tremendously.”
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#BREAKING: Victims of hit & run are Sondroz "Steve" Olivert, 35 (deceased) & Danielle N. Baldwin, 32 (critical). pic.twitter.com/l3Vdg7Q44M
— Liane Morejon (@LianeMorejonTV) May 1, 2016