CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The second trial for the man accused of hitting and killing an 8-year-old child in Chesapeake, then leaving the scene, had its first evidence and witnesses presented today.
Richard Humbert, 39, is charged with felony hit and run causing injury or death. Investigators say he hit Forrest Hooper on South Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake last October.
The prosecution and defense had to start proceedings over, after a mistrial in this case back in September. During the first trial, there were concerns jurors were looking up information and discussing the case outside the courtroom.
The bulk of Thursday was spent hearing from detectives and forensics specialists with Chesapeake Police Department, who investigated the case.
The jury heard a 911 call from neighbors who found Hooper in their front yard after the crash and body camera footage from an officer who responded to the scene. They also saw an approximately 90-minute video of Chesapeake Police detectives interviewing Humbert days after the crash.
Throughout the video, Humbert maintains he thought he had hit a deer, claiming he did not see anything leading up to the crash. He stuck with these claims even after detectives showed him a picture of a child’s handprint on the hood of his car. Humbert told the officers, “I knew I hit something. I didn’t see anything on the road.” When one detective said, “It was you,” Humbert put his head in his hands.
The defense’s strategy in this case is to prove Humbert did not know or should not have known he hit a person. The legal team does not dispute he hit the child.
Hit and run causing injury or death is a class 5 felony. If convicted, Humbert could spend up to 10 years in prison.