CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A Chesapeake jury found Richard Humbert, 39, guilty Tuesday of failing to report an accident resulting in death after an 8-year-old boy died after being struck by a vehicle while trying to cross South Battlefield Boulevard near Hillcrest Parkway.
Police said Humbert, of Virginia Beach, was behind the wheel of the white Honda Civic on Oct. 3, 2023 when Forrest Hooper tried to cross the road and was struck by the vehicle.
Surveillance video and other evidence led police to Humbert and his car, and the jury on Friday had a chance to see the car believed to have struck him.
10 On Your Side’s Chris Horne was in court for the verdict and spoke to Hooper’s grandmother who was emotional over what has been a tough 13 months.
This was a question of not whether Humbert struck and killed Hooper, but rather, it was a legal one. Did he know he hit a human being? Or should he have known that he hit a human being?
Humbert claimed and told police two days later, on Oct. 5, 2023, that he had hit a deer. But it didn’t really comport to any of the evidence. There was no deer fur on the front of his Honda Civic, and he didn’t stop after he struck the child for about three-tenths of a mile.
Also, a forensic examination of his phone revealed that he repeatedly searched for Chesapeake news stories for around 24 hours after the accident.
No sentencing date has yet been set. There was a defense motion to set aside the verdict, saying that it was not rooted in law. That will be taken up in the next two weeks.
Hooper’s grandmother, asked what kind of sentence she hopes for for Humbert, said eight years — one for every year the boy was alive — plus another year for the year she hasn’t had him. Sentencing guidelines for the charge call for anywhere between one year and 10 years in jail.
Check with WAVY.com for updates.