Oklahoma City Mother Recounts the Death of Her Son

I was inside of my house working on a project that I was going to have submitted for a company that I work for, when I heard my husband, Brent Florence come inside of the house and shut the screen door behind him.

It was only moments later that I heard someone outside screaming. I felt a chill run down my back and I heard my husband running for the door. The screen door slammed and then a man that I had never saw before, came running into the house as I was running to the door. The man and I nearly knocked each other down. The man asked me if I was the mother to the little boy. I replied by asking what boy he was talking about. He then asked me again, only this time he revised his question by asking if I was the mother to the little boy who got ran over.

I darted passed the man and into my yard. I found my husband knelt down beside something that I really couldn't make out what it was. My husband, Brent Florence, was crying and screaming at the same time. I then seen something red pouring down our driveway and into the street. I walked up to him and then I realized that it was blood that was covering our driveway and that it was our son that was laying there in a fetal position.

I hit my knees and started praying. I felt like my heart was going to explode. My mind went blank and I kept wondering if this was real.

I heard someone on the phone with 911. The guy that was on the phone asked my husband if he was breathing. My husband replied by saying that his pulse was getting weak. I couldn't breath, I couldn't talk, all I could do was scream.

The ambulance arrived a few minutes after along with the Oklahoma City Police Department. The ambulance took our son to the hospital but would not allow us to ride with them. I had my one year old daughter at the time and so I told my husband to go to the hospital. My husband followed them in our car, while I waited for my mother in law to arrive.

The police officer began to question me and get information from me about our son, Gaje Florence. I was waiting for almost 40 minutes before my mother in law came to get me and our youngest daughter.

I looked over at the lady who ran over our son and she was sitting on a bench in front of our neighbors house. I couldn't believe what she had done. I didn't ask her any question and didn't even talk to her. I was more worried about the well being of my son.

I looked back and seen that our driveway was covered in blood and the truck that ran over him, was parked in the street.

When my mother in law arrived we hurried to get into her van. I remember the police officer saying that the lady who ran over him, was going to jail. I seen the police officer put her in hand cuffs and walk her to his patrol car.

My husband called me from the hospital, but I couldn't make out what he was saying through all of the tears that he was crying.

I arrived at the hospital and was quickly rushed into a room with my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and our oldest son, Brie. I saw my husband walking down the hall toward us. He was soaked in blood and his face was stained from the tears that he was crying.

A man was walking behind him with his arms crossed. I could verily make out his name tag. I concentrated harder and could make out the word 'councilor.' There was very few reasons as too why a councilor would want to be in that room with us, and I was waiting and praying for a miracle.

My husband walked into the room and told me the words that I wish I would have never heard. He told me that our son had died. I screamed so loud and I couldn't breath. My mind went blank and I started thinking back to what had happened. I wanted to make this stop. I wanted our son.

I later found out that the women who ran over my son, Gaje Jefferey Florence, was driving under a suspended license and that he had a previous charge that was filed almost two years ago for a hit and run. Her name is Elisie Margiretta Murguia and she was charged with negligent homicide.

My son was playing in our driveway which is about 20 feet from our house, the day that he died. Murguia was turning around after our next door neighbor yelled at her to come back to their house. She backed into our driveway and didn't realize that she had even ran over our son, until our neighbor started yelling at her to stop the truck.

If you would have seen our yard the day before he died, you would have laughed at all the kids playing in front of our house. Our house was the neighborhood playground for the kids around our house. We always have kids playing in our yard. Our yard is no longer filled with the laughter of the neighbors kids or the pitter patter of little feet running through our house. Our yard is like a ghost town and the kids that once filled our yard, are no longer able to go outside for the fear of this happening to one of them.

Brent and I had five kids between us and we were always proud of the family that we had created. I still cry at night, and I can still hear the sound of his voice. I can't close my eyes without seeing the image of him laying on our driveway with my husband beside him. My son died from severe head trauma and not old age. I never imagined myself barring one of our children. I always thought that your children are suppose to bury you.

I don't think that I will ever get over this and I am not sure if I really want too. I don't really know how to cope with this and I start to cry every time that I think about that day.