Who was Elizabeth 'Ellie' Sims? FSU Student killed in Hit-and-Run

Elizabeth ‘Ellie’ Sims, 20, was a sophomore at Florida State University who was killed in a hit-and-run accident Monday.

Sims was struck by a car on a crosswalk near the University campus at the intersection of Pensacola Street and Lorene Street.

The driver fled, but TPD arrested him later that evening. He was identified Tuesday as Willis Trueblood Jr.

“The Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) has arrested one person following the deadly hit-and-run crash that occurred on Monday, April 29, at approximately 6:40 p.m. at the intersection of Pensacola Street and Lorene Street,” TPD said in a statement Tuesday.

“Preliminary information obtained from witnesses on scene indicate the victim, an adult female, was utilizing the designated crosswalk when she was struck by 18-year-old Willis Trueblood Jr. Following the collision, Trueblood fled the scene,”

Trueblood entered a written plea of not guilty in connection to the incident. He told detectives that right before the incident unfolded, he had his visor down in his vehicle due to the sun beaming his way during “five or six o’clock traffic,” per court records.

Trueblood also said, according to records, he remembered two vehicles in front of him in the left lane that he was going to turn into and get behind. That’s when Trueblood said Sims hit the car.

“I didn’t even see her coming. I didn’t know what to do, so I just left,” Trueblood told detectives.

When detectives asked him why he left the scene, Trueblood stated because he “was panicking.”

Trueblood described being scared and driving to a friend’s house where he called a parent, according to court records.

“I hit somebody and I just messed up,” Trueblood allegedly said to crash investigators.

Sims was from Franklin, Tennessee, and a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority.

The sorority chapter released a statement about Sims on Tuesday afternoon, which read in part, “You were truly the epitome of an Alpha Chi Omega: involved with FSU Honors College, FSU CHAW, an avid runner, an entrepreneurship student, and a fashionista. We will forever miss your infectious smile, jamming out while meal prepping in the kitchenette and positive presence that lit up every room. Beta Eta will not be the same without you, but your legacy will live on….”

“We are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss of one of our students, Elizabeth ‘Ellie’ Sims, who was killed Monday when she was struck by a vehicle near campus,” FSU President Richard McCullough said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends during this difficult time.”

According to posts from Reddit, Sims was a sweet girl whose death will hit her family hard.

“This girl grew up with my kids. Her family still lives around the corner from me. She was friends with my daughter and my son had a crush on her for years (she was stunningly beautiful). I can’t imagine her parents’ pain right now,” a reddit user wrote in rememberance of her.

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