2020 Airport Road Hit & Run: Gilroy Guilty

PROVIDENCE, RI —A Kent County Superior Court jury has found Skyla Gilroy, 24,  of Cranston, guilty in the Dec. 22, 2020 Airport Road hit & run that killed Daniel Boss, 51, of West Warwick, Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today.

At a hearing on March 5, following a four-day jury before Superior Court Justice Luis M. Matos, Gilroy was found guilty of one count of driving to endanger resulting in death and one count of failure to stop after being involved in an accident that resulted in death. Gilroy is scheduled for sentencing on May 23, 2025.

“Hit and runs are particularly tragic crimes made worse by a driver failing to take responsibility in the moment,” said Neronha, “Had this defendant immediately reported the collision, the outcome may have been different. Instead, she will undoubtedly serve a significant sentence for her crimes. My thoughts are with Donald’s family, and I hope they can find some closure knowing that justice has been served. And thanks to the Warwick Police Department for their exceptional work in the investigation of this case.”

Airport Road Hit & Run Details Reviewed at Trial

During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant left the scene of a Airport Road hit & run that  killed 51-year-old Donald Boss. 

In the early morning on Dec. 22, 2020, Warwick Police responded to the scene of a report of a man being struck by a vehicle on Airport Road in Warwick. Upon arrival, police found Donald Boss lying in the road unresponsive. According to witness testimony, Donald and two other individuals traveled to Airport Road to buy drugs. When the seller arrived, Donald approached the vehicle, and after a brief argument, the driver (Gilroy) began to exit the parking lot with the victim still hanging on to the vehicle. As the vehicle quickly accelerated, Donald fell to the ground and later passed away from his injuries.

Video surveillance from the area captured footage of the incident, which involved a blue Nissan Rogue with three individuals in the vehicle. Investigators confirmed that the defendant was the seller’s girlfriend, and that the defendant drove the same type of car identified in video surveillance footage. After obtaining a search warrant, investigators seized the defendant’s vehicle, which they later confirmed as the same vehicle captured on video surveillance.

Gilroy was later arrested by U.S. Marshals in Surprise, AZ, on Feb. 1 2021 on an active arrest warrant issued by the Warwick Police. Gilroy was sought by the WPD for driving the blue 2008 Nissan Rogue that struck Boss in front of the Speedway Gas Station at 61 Airport Road at 4 a.m. that morning.

“A man died because of this defendant’s choice to leave the scene of accident,” said WPD Police Chief Col. Bradford E. Connor, “I hope Donald’s family feels a sense of closure knowing this defendant will be held accountable for her crimes. I appreciate the efforts of our officers and detectives, as well as the prosecutors at the Attorney General’s Office that worked tirelessly on this tough case.”

Assistant Attorney General John Corrigan of the Office of the Attorney General and Sergeant John Zaborski and Detective Sokphannareth Chea of the Warwick Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.

Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at editor@warwickpost.com with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.