Eight months after Lance Sotelo was struck and killed while running in Charlotte, his family filled a Mecklenburg County courtroom Tuesday to face the driver who left the scene that night.
“I no longer want revenge,” she told WCNC. “I want rehabilitation for her and the sake of her child.”
She said her son would have wanted what happened to him to mean something beyond punishment.
“My son is dead. The part of me that I brought into this world is gone and a part of my husband is gone,” Jeanne said. “Lance would want justice. He would want to know that this could help prevent this from happening to anyone else.”
Q’Laundra Hood, 28, pleaded guilty Sept. 22 to felony hit-and-run causing serious injury or death and misdemeanor death by vehicle. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 36 months of probation and ordered to pay $765 in restitution, according to court records.
Hood also addressed Sotelo’s family during the hearing, apologizing and asking for their forgiveness. Jeanne told the court she forgave Hood but could not forget what happened.
Sotelo was running near The Plaza and East 36th Street on Jan. 14 when investigators say Hood ran a red light and struck him. Police found the 25-year-old seriously injured at the scene, and he died before he could be transported to a hospital. Hood left the scene before turning herself in to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police the following morning.
But the person Sotelo’s family came to court to remember Tuesday was much more than the victim at the center of a criminal case.
Sotelo moved to Charlotte in 2019 to attend Queens University of Charlotte, where he competed in track and field, served as student body president and earned his MBA in May 2025. He completed the Charlotte Marathon that November and became part of the city’s running community.
Charlotte also became a place where Sotelo, who was gay, found community. His first weekend at Queens coincided with Charlotte Pride, and Jeanne previously told Qnotes that their entire family attended the festival together.
After his death, Charlotte’s LGBTQ+ community showed up for him. Friends, runners, classmates and members gathered to remember Sotelo, including at a candlelight vigil at Chasers.
That support continued into the summer. In June, Q Fitness and Wellness dedicated its annual 5K at McAlpine Creek Park to Sotelo, using the event to help support a future scholarship fund through Lance’s Legacy, which Jeanne founded in her son’s honor.
“Running was important to Lance, but his legacy is bigger than running,” Jeanne told Qnotes ahead of the 5K. “He was accepting of everyone, he encouraged people to do better and be better, and he made people feel seen.”
The scholarship will carry that spirit forward by supporting LGBTQ+ students who are building their futures and giving back to their communities.
The sentencing closes the criminal case surrounding Sotelo’s death. During the eight months that have passed since he was killed, his family and the communities he was part of have built something intended to last far beyond his tragic loss of life.
For more information on Lance’s Legacy, visit https://lancesotelo.org/.
This story is brought to you by Rosedale Health and Wellness and Dudley’s Place.
