Scott Dwight Habermehl was an avid cyclist who often rode to work at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. On May 29, 2024, Habermehl took off for work as usual, but he never made it to his office. Instead, four juveniles allegedly ran over Habermehl intentionally to make a video for social media. Their vehicle hit the cyclist just before 5 a.m., killing him. Police arrested three juveniles in connection with the death, and all of them are facing murder charges. But the youngest of the three is now in a treatment facility in Pennsylvania.
None of the suspects was of legal driving age.
According to the Albuquerque Police Department, a social media video reportedly taken during the crime linked back to 13-year-old Johnathan Overbay, 15-year-old William Garcia, and an 11-year-old boy, identified as Messiah Hayes by Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman. In the video, the suspects can allegedly be heard planning to hit the cyclist after seeing the red light flashing on his bike.
In the video, the back passenger, who police believe was Garcia, reportedly advised the driver not to hit Habermehl too fast. “Just bump him, brah.” The driver asked, “Like bump him?” The back passenger encouraged, “Yeah, just bump him. Go like…15…20.”
The youngest suspect allegedly had a gun.
Police reported that Hayes allegedly waved a gun at Habermehl, sat in the front, and ducked upon impact.
“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,” the police news release read…