A Point Breeze man who went on a spree of hit-and-runs, killing a Center City chef and injuring 5 others, to spend decades in state prison

On a summer night three years ago, Kareem Welton went on a drug-fueled hit-and run spree and plowed his vehicle into six people, critically injuring a jogger and killing a chef at a Center City steak house.

Among the victims was Adriana Moreno-Sanchez, a mother of three and a chef at Steak 48, who was leaving her dinner shift with a co-worker when she was struck twice and killed. Welton, of Point Breeze, stopped long enough to steal her chef’s jacket, which he was wearing when police stopped him nearly seven hours later and 30 miles away in Trappe, Montgomery County.

On Thursday, for what prosecutors described as a “reign of terror,” Welton, 43, was sentenced to 45½ to 91 years in state prison on charges including third-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated assault.

Welton’s defense lawyer, Gregory Nestor, said his client had suffered a lifetime of neglect, drug abuse and mental illness that led directly to the events of that evening.

But Montgomery County Court Judge William Carpenter was not swayed. Welton’s actions, Carpenter said, were entirely his own, done without any provocation from the victims.

“He’s the one who chose to drop out of school. He’s the one who chose to do drugs. His criminal conduct cannot be tolerated,” Carpenter said. “Society needs to be protected from this person. I intend to do that.”

Welton, in a statement read by his lawyer, apologized to the family members of the 12 people victimized during the hours-long episode, saying he was sorry for his actions and the pain he caused.

“If I could take it back, I would,” he said. “I’m sorry, and I want help.”

Nestor said in court that Welton “never had a chance in life,” and accepted responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty in October.

He presented evidence that a psychologist diagnosed Welton last year with schizoaffective disorder, and emotional development issues. Those mental health concerns were exacerbated by his chronic drug use, according to Nestor, particularly the powerful hallucinogenic PCP, which he was high on when his 30-mile spree of hit-and-runs began.

Welton had experienced homelessness and had dropped out of school at 19 — in ninth grade due to his developmental issues, Nestor said.

He noted that Welton’s family had sought to get him involuntarily committed hours before his crimes, but had been turned away from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital because of Welton’s unruly behavior while intoxicated.

“It was the culmination of all that that led us here today,” Nestor said. “He didn’t do this crime out of a hardness of heart, or out of an intent to hurt anybody. This was the product of addiction and was the product of mental health.”

But prosecutors, led by Assistant District Attorney Kathleen McLaughlin, said Welton was being manipulative, playing up the severity of his mental health issues in a bid for sympathy.

“It doesn’t matter why he did this, or how it affects him,” McLaughlin said. “What matters is the victims, how they were affected, and how they can move on from this.”

Just before 11 p.m. on July 27, 2021, Welton stole a Chevrolet Malibu from one of his neighbors, and drove toward Center City, prosecutors said. Two hours later, he spotted Moreno-Sanchez, 31, and Agustin Del Rosario walking home from their shift at Steak 48 on 15th Street near South.

In a statement read in court, Del Rosario described how on that “horrible night,” he turned around to see the Malibu speeding toward him on the sidewalk, and screamed out to Rosario to move. He was too late, and the car hit both of them, injuring Del Rosario’s arm and leg, and knocking Moreno-Sanchez to the ground.

Del Rosario tried to pull her to safety, but saw the Malibu make a U-turn and head back in their direction. He narrowly avoided the car as it ran over Moreno-Sanchez, and watched as Welton got out of the vehicle, stopped briefly to steal her coat and then drove off. Moreno-Sanchez was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The process to return to my normal life after this has been long and difficult,” Del Rosario said.

Welton stole a second car, a Nissan Altima, not long after, and continued to drive recklessly and strike cars and pedestrians around the city. Eventually, he made his way to Collegeville, where Kyle Hillegas was out for an early-morning jog. Welton, as he was being pursued by police, intentionally swerved into oncoming traffic to hit Hillegas.

In emotional testimony Thursday, Hillegas said he was grateful to be alive after the traumatic experience.

He suffered a broken spine and a leg fracture in the crash, and had to be airlifted to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Those physical injuries, he said in court, have healed. But the emotional scars “still run deep.”

Still, Hillegas said he “chooses to extend forgiveness” to Welton to find closure and move on with his life.

“I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened anymore,” he said. “I hope through this experience, [Welton] has come to understand the seriousness of his actions and will seek forgiveness.”

Not long after striking Hillegas, Welton was arrested in nearby Trappe as investigators said he was attempting to steal a third car.