Vigil To Honor St. Thomas Student Killed In Crash

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- A vigil will be held on Thursday night to honor the life of 20-year-old Ria Patel, a St. Thomas University student.

The vigil falls on the same day her boyfriend, 21-year-old Michael Campbell, will go before a judge, charged in connection to the crash that killed Patel in Minneapolis Sunday morning.

Investigators believe Campbell was behind the wheel around 4 a.m. on Sunday morning when he slammed into a stop light at Stinson Boulevard and Ridgeway Parkway.

Patel, who friends say was his girlfriend, was the passenger in the car.

After the collision, witnesses told police Campbell ran away before emergency crews arrived, leaving Patel trapped in the car.

It took authorities two days to track down and arrest Campbell in Wright County.

Campbell's first court appearance will be at 1:30 p.m. in Hennepin County.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

The vigil for Patel will be at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night on the St. Thomas University campus.