CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Virginia Beach man was sentenced to five years for killing an 8-year-old boy with his car in Chesapeake over a year ago.
A judge sentenced Richard Humbert, 40, to 10 years with five suspended, bringing his sentence to five years. His sentence also includes 3 years of supervised probation and 10 years of uniform good behavior. He will be required to forfeit his license for a year once he's out of prison.
The state sentencing guidelines called for a sentence of no more than six months. D.J. Hansen, who is the chief deputy commonwealth's attorney for Chesapeake, tells us those guidelines are advisory, and his office argued that such a recommendation was inadequate based on the facts of this case. Defendants are generally entitled to credit for time served while awaiting trial, and Hansen says calculating his sentence for his release date is up to the Department of Corrections. Humpert has been incarcerated since his arrest in 2023.
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Humbert's sentencing comes after a jury found him guilty of hit and run causing serious injury or death.
In October of 2023, police say they found an 8-year-old boy, Forrest Hooper, seriously injured after being hit by a car on South Battlefield Boulevard. 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.
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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.
The case was declared a mistrial in September after prosecutors said jurors improperly researched and discussed it outside of the courtroom. However, a guilty verdict was reached following a jury trial in November.
