WORCESTER, Mass. (WHDH) — A woman charged with dragging a man to his death with her SUV early Christmas morning during a drug deal has been held on $35,000 bail.

Susan Dixon pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Tuesday to charges including motor vehicle homicide in connection with the Monday death of 33-year-old Felix Bonilla at a Worcester gas station parking lot.

“My brother was very lovable. Everyone that knew him knew how great of a guy he was,” said Melissa Bonilla, the victim’s sister.

Police say the 58-year-old Dixon and the victim were engaged in a drug deal when he reached into her vehicle to give her something and she suddenly drove away with Bonilla half inside. Her severely damaged vehicle was found abandoned a short distance away. She was arrested at home.

“She admitted to being at the scene. She said she was at the scene to purchase narcotics from the victim,” Prosecutor Lisa Casella said.

At some point during the transaction, prosecutors said Dixon put her SUV in reverse and hit the gas, with Bonilla partially inside. Court records show Dixon pleaded guilty to a similar offense in 2015. In that case, she tried buy drugs from another man and drove away, dragging him. That victim survived.

Bonilla suffered neck, chest and abdomen injuries and died at a hospital.

Dixon told police she was not the driver of the SUV.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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