Man accused of deadly hit-and-run pleads 'not guilty,' tensions flare outside courtroom

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man who jumped out of a three-story cabin after police say he caused a deadly hit-and-run last May made his first court appearance in the case Monday.

Shawn Ginder pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death before Judge Samuel Dalesandro.

The charge against the 38-year-old stems from a dramatic hit-and-run last year that took the life of Monique Contreraz.

Prosecutors say 38-year-old Ginder crashed his truck into the unhoused woman and dragged her body for miles before leaving the scene.

The crash happened at about 1 in the morning on May 13, 2022, off Herndon and Milburn avenues. Contreraz was walking when police say Ginder hit her with his Chevy Silverado.

"She's just always been a very happy, bubbly, do anything for anybody," the victim's sister Rachelle Shelton told Action News last year.

Ginder did not stop after the collision. Prosecutors say he kept driving for eight miles -- dragging Contreraz.

Ginder allegedly left the 29-year-old's body at a Northwest Fresno hotel and fled to Bass Lake. When police arrived, they say Ginder jumped out of a third-story window.

"My client's medical records are extensive, to say the least, and I have retained medical experts for the court," defense attorney Daniel Bacon told the judge Monday.

Injuries from that jump were apparent in court on Monday. Ginder sat in a wheelchair with visible scarring on his right arm and near his elbow.

The judge told Ginder he is due back in court on November 28. But that was not the end of it.

Outside the courtroom, emotions flared. Members of the Fresno Homeless Union berated Ginder and his attorney as they entered the elevator.

One of them yelled, "God will get you," as a handful of deputies scrambled to restore order in the hall.

It is not the first time Ginder has been accused of leaving the scene of a crash.

Ginder has three prior Fresno County DUIs. In one, he admitted to a hit-and-run causing property damage.

Ginder also missed his original arraignment earlier this month.

Now, he is out on bail. He is not allowed to drive as a condition of his release.

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