A woman pleaded guilty June 11 to a hit-and-run case in which she struck and killed a pedestrian walking on the shoulder of Interstate 8 near Nimitz Boulevard in the early hours of March 11. Although she maintained she thought her vehicle had struck a sofa on the shoulder of the freeway at the time, Nikolette Kristina Gallo, 19, pleaded guilty to the count. While the maximum sentence is four years in prison, San Diego Superior Court Judge Dwayne Moring indicated he would strongly consider a sentence with probation, according to Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Zipp. The victim was identified at Sho Funai, 23, a San Diego engineer, but it wasn’t disclosed why he was walking on the freeway shoulder at 4:30 a.m. when the accident happened. Sentencing for Gallo is set for July 26. Gallo, of Rancho Peñasquitos, remains free on $50,000 bond. She could serve a jail term of one year or less and might still receive probation from the court. Gallo said she later saw a news report about the traffic death and told her father, who contacted an attorney. The lawyer spoke to police investigators and Gallo agreed to surrender. As a condition of bond, Gallo also agreed to wear a device that would show if she consumed alcohol. Her lawyer, King Aminpour, said Gallo agreed to wear the device “to show to the court, to the public, that she is not a safety risk.” Gallo wasn’t charged with drunken driving in connection with the case. A day or two passed between the incident and her surrender, so no blood tests were taken by police. Her attorney said she was not a person who used drugs or was dependent on alcohol.