Teen accused in deadly hit-and-run deemed a danger to others, as police arrest 3rd suspect
The Albuquerque Police Department headquarters is seen, Feb. 2, 2024, in Albuquerque, N.M. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A now 13-year-old boy charged with murder in an apparently deliberate hit-and-run that targeted a bicyclist on his way to work was ordered Wednesday to remain in custody, as authorities in Albuquerque announced the search was over for another teen wanted in connection with the case.
The boy ordered to remain in custody is believed to be the driver of the car involved in the May 2024 hit-and-run that killed 63-year-old physicist Scott Dwight Habermehl while he was biking to his job at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. He was 12 years old at the time.
Authorities say there were two other boys in the car that morning — one who had just turned 11 and another who was 15 at the time.
The two older boys have been charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person, police said in a statement.
The district attorney’s office confirmed Wednesday that the youngest boy will also face a murder charge. A little over a week after the fatal crash, police had arrested him on an unrelated felony warrant, according to law enforcement.
Video of the crash was recorded from inside the car and circulated on social media. It was reported to authorities by people including a middle school principal after a student flagged it.
Deputy District Attorney Bridget McKenney played the video Wednesday at a children’s court hearing for the 13-year-old. The video shows the car accelerating as the flashing tail light of a bicycle becomes visible. A voice believed to be the older teen says, “Just bump him, brah.”
She also shared photos of the vehicle, the right side of its windshield shattered, its hood dented and the bumper damaged.
“I don’t know a better word than callous behavior for what we’ve seen,” McKenney told the court. “You can hear the impact of the victim slamming into the windshield. You can see them turn the camera as they speed off watching the victim hit the ground.”
She said Habermehl was left dying on the roadside while the boys swapped vehicles and went on with their lives.
Michael Rosenfield, a publicly appointed attorney for the 13-year-old defendant, entered a denial to the charges on his behalf.
The attorney told the judge that the boy had been put on probation in December for an unrelated case and had been following the requirements and doing well. Rosenfield suggested there were conditions of supervision that would allow the teen to be released from custody.
Judge Catherine Begaye disagreed, finding that the child is a danger to others.
The Associated Press doesn’t typically name people under 18 accused of a crime.
As for the now 16-year-old, authorities earlier this week urged the boy to turn himself in. Detectives conducted surveillance and arrested him without incident on Wednesday, said Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesperson with the Albuquerque Police Department.
A similar case involving teenage boys who allegedly recorded themselves deliberately hitting a bicyclist who ended up dying happened in Las Vegas in 2023. One of those teens was found unfit to stand trial.