A North Las Vegas parking lot turned into a homicide scene when a Nevada woman allegedly ran over her longtime boyfriend — the father of her eight children — with a brand-new SUV after a heated argument outside an Olive Garden.

Andrea Roman, 40, is charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon in the Oct. 18, 2025 death of Bryan Hicks, also 40. Prosecutors allege Roman deliberately “inched forward” and “turned the wheel towards him,” pinning Hicks beneath her newly purchased Mitsubishi Outlander and crushing his head. He later died of traumatic asphyxia.

The confrontation unfolded in front of the couple’s youngest child, a 4-year-old, who was with them at the time, according to court testimony reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Clark County District Attorney Kassandra Acosta did not mince words during Tuesday’s preliminary hearing.

“She knows the difference between reverse and drive,” Acosta said. “She clearly knew.”

According to a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime, Roman is accused of the “willful, deliberate and premeditated” murder of Hicks. The couple had been together for about 20 years and shared eight children.

Prosecutors say the argument began inside Roman’s brand-new Outlander — a vehicle she had owned for less than a day — before escalating into the restaurant’s parking lot. Hicks exited the SUV during the dispute. Roman then allegedly struck him with the vehicle.

Roman claims it was a tragic mistake. She told authorities she intended to put the SUV in reverse but accidentally accelerated forward.

Her attorney, David Lopez-Negrete, argued in court that the strike was accidental and emphasized that the Outlander does not have a traditional gearshift.

“Look at the fact that Ms. Roman had just purchased this vehicle, had been using this car for basically the better part of the morning, and there was no testimony that she had been backing up and going forward,” Lopez-Negrete said. “I think if you add it all up, you see that there is a very viable argument that this was an accidental strike.”

Prosecutors countered that Roman had been driving around earlier that day and had visited a pawn shop, where she would have needed to reverse while parking — suggesting she was familiar with how the SUV operated.

After Hicks was struck and pinned, chaos erupted. Officers responding to the scene reportedly struggled to free him because the vehicle’s gears could not immediately be shifted.

Authorities also allege Roman attempted to flee after striking Hicks. An Olive Garden patron in the parking lot, who was carrying a concealed firearm, reportedly drew his weapon and ordered her to stop. Multiple witnesses — including an off-duty police detective — told investigators they saw the incident unfold in broad daylight.

Inside the courtroom Tuesday, Roman reportedly appeared distraught. The Review-Journal described her as hysterical, wailing loudly and rocking back and forth. At one point, she appeared to plug her ears with her fingers.

The judge ruled there was enough evidence to move forward with the murder charge and ordered the case to proceed to trial before a jury. Roman is scheduled to return to court for her arraignment.