CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Virginia Beach man was found guilty Tuesday of killing an 8-year-old boy with his car in Chesapeake.
The guilty verdict for Richard Humbert comes over a year after the deadly hit-and-run on South Battlefield Boulevard.
Watch previous coverage: Man accused of killing Chesapeake child in hit & run 'thought he hit a deer'
In October of 2023, police say they found a boy, Forrest Hooper, seriously injured after being hit by a car. Hooper was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
Two days later, police arrested Humbert and charged him with felony hit-and-run resulting in death.
Court documents say Humbert did not stop after hitting the child, but did pull over later to check his car for damage. He told detectives he thought he hit a deer.
Watch previous coverage: Mistrial declared in man charged in hit & run death of 8-year-old Chesapeake boy
Tuesday night, a jury found him guilty of hit and run causing serious injury or death.
Forrest's family was in the courtroom during the verdict. His grandma Cindy Lutz said she’ll sleep soundly for the first time in a long time after justice was served for her beloved grandson.
"It was difficult. You just never know what to expect, you don't know how a jury is going to react. It was stressful, very stressful, but I'm happy with the verdict. I will sleep tonight," said Lutz.
The case was declared a mistrial in September after prosecutors said jurors improperly researched and discussed it outside of the courtroom.
A sentencing date hasn't been announced for Humbert yet.
