A 13-year-old boy has been charged with murder after a cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run caught on camera in New Mexico.
Father-of-two Scott Dwight Habermehl was cycling to his job at Sandia National Laboratory on the morning of May 29, 2024, when a car swerved into the bike lane and struck him, according to the Albuquerque Police Department. Habermehl, 63, of Corrales, died at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash.
The crash was filmed from inside the car and circulated on social media. In the recording, a voice believed to be the 13-year-old can be heard saying he is about to hit the cyclist, according to law enforcement. The car appears to accelerate and a voice believed to be the 15-year-old says, “Just bump him, brah.”
The driver asks, “Like bump him?”
A passenger says, “Yeah, just bump him. Go like…15…20.”
A series of loud noises are then heard on the tape including “metal flexing,” said police.
Footage of the crash was posted on social media before it was reported to police. A student flagged it to a middle school principal who raised the alarm to authorities.
Nearly a year after Habermehl’s death, two teenagers have been jointly 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.
A third 11-year-old boy, who police also said was involved, was too young to be charged with murder. In the U.S. the age at which you can be charged with murder varies by state. However, in New Mexico, you have to be at least 14.
Albuquerque Police detectives shared that they were “working with the DA’s Office and CYFD to determine what charges [the 11-year-old boy] may face and whether he can be held on those charges.”
The alleged 13-year-old is expected to be booked into a Juvenile Detention Center while the 15 and 11-year-old remain at large.
Tributes to Habermehl have shared following his death.
The father-of-two was remembered by loved ones as a family man who was also “an abiding fan of the outdoors.” His obituary described him as a devoted parent and husband who showed his love through “consistent attention and support”.
The online tribute said Habermehl “enjoyed nothing more than being in nature, in the wilds of New Mexico or Colorado, walking by a mountain stream or hiking to the high country and listening to marmot and pika chirp above the tree line. He was at his most serene at the end of a long day of hiking, when he would sit and watch sunsets from the high places of the earth, enjoying the frozen beer he carried in his backpack.”
The memorial added that “no peak was ever too great for him, and he relished the challenges of the climb.“
The Independent contacted the Albuquerque Police Department for more information.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
