Southwest
New Mexico teens, 13 and 15, charged with murder in hit-and-run of bicyclist posted on social media
Police in New Mexico said a 13-year-old boy has been charged with murder, took an 11-year-old into custody and are searching for a 15-year-old boy in connection with the deadly hit-and-run of a bicyclist that was recorded on video from inside a stolen car and circulated on social media.
Albuquerque police said the 13-year-old and 15-year-old have both 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.
Authorities believe the 13-year-old was the driver of the car that killed 63-year-old physicist Scott Dwight Habermehl, who was fatally struck at around 4:40 a.m. on May 29, 2024, as he was biking to his job at Sandia National Laboratories.
TEEN DRIVER APPEARS TO INTENTIONALLY HIT, KILL RETIRED POLICE CHIEF IN VIRAL VIDEO
The Albuquerque Police Department headquarters is seen, Feb. 2, 2024, in Albuquerque, N.M. Two teens have been charged in the death of a bicyclist. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
The 15-year-old and an 11-year-old boy, who is too young to be charged with murder, are believed to have been passengers in car, police said.
“The boys videotaped the crash from inside the car as the driver swerved from the southbound lane on Moon St. onto a dedicated bike lane and struck Habermehl,” a Monday police statement said. The kids in the car saw the flashing light on the bicycle and audio of the recording indicated they planned to hit the bicyclist.”
Video of the crash was recorded from inside the car and circulated on social media. Detectives received a tip about the video being posted to social media. A middle school principal also reported to Albuquerque Public Schools police that a student reported the same video of the crash.
In the recording, a voice believed to be the 13-year-old driver is heard saying that he was about to hit the bicyclist before accelerating the car, authorities said. He is then heard saying, “Just bump him, brash,” police said.
TEEN BRAGS HE’LL GET ‘SLAP ON THE WRIST’ FOR KILLING EX-POLICE CHIEF IN HIT-AND-RUN
Scott Dwight Habermehl, 63, was killed in 2024 when he was struck by a stolen vehicle being driven by a teen boy while he was bicycling to work, police said.
“Like bump him?” the driver asks.
“Yeah, just bump him. Go like…15…20,” another passenger said.
“There were loud sounds, including metal flexing, as the momentum of the crash carried Habermehl and his bicycle on top, and off, the passenger side of the vehicle,” police said.
The 11-year-old, who was allegedly waving a handgun at the time of the crime, will be put in the custody of the state’s Children, Youth & Families Department and evaluated. A little over a week after the fatal crash, police had arrested him on an unrelated felony warrant, according to law enforcement.
Detectives are working with prosecutors and state social workers “to determine what charges he may face and whether he can be held on those charges,” according to the police statement.
The case echoes a similar hit-and-run in Las Vegas that killed a retired police chief who was bicycling as the teen suspects laughed.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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