Florida prosecutors have escalated charges against a woman accused of deliberately crashing her vehicle, an incident that ultimately resulted in her boyfriend’s death earlier this month.
According to reports, on February 9, Leigha Mumby, 24, was involved in a heated argument with her boyfriend, Daniel Waterman, 22. Amidst the dispute, Mumby allegedly drove her car into a tree along Interstate 95 in Flagler County. Before the crash, Waterman, who was a passenger, claimed Mumby declared, “I don’t care what happens, you’ll get what you deserve,” as reported by Flagler Live.
The crash left Waterman critically injured and in a coma. After regaining consciousness briefly, he recounted the incident to investigators, communicating by making sounds while officers pointed to letters on a board, his mother stated, according to Syracuse.com.
During a lengthy interview, Waterman confirmed that his girlfriend, Mumby, who was pregnant at the time, had intentionally caused the crash. Detectives noted that data from the vehicle’s event recorder corroborated Waterman’s assertion of the crash being deliberate.
As reported by WJXT, Waterman was in New York recovering when he developed pneumonia, leading to his death on October 8.
On the day of the incident, Mumby had discovered her pregnancy. The couple had spent the day with Waterman’s cousins, but tensions rose when Mumby expressed her desire to keep the baby, despite Waterman’s reluctance.
“During the day, he did say, he didn’t know what he was going to do, and he didn’t like how Leigha was handling the situation,” one of the cousins told Flagler Live.
While driving on Interstate 95, Mumby and Waterman allegedly argued as Mumby believed Waterman was talking to an ex-girlfriend. Waterman’s cousin claimed that four minutes before the crash, Mumby texted her from Waterman’s phone.
According to the cousin, the text read, “This is what he gets for being a liar and a cheater.”
The vehicle’s data showed Mumby was traveling at 90mph moments before she suddenly drove off the highway, Florida Highway Patrol said. However, Mumby reportedly told investigators that she did not recall what happened before the crash.
Mumby was initially arrested in July on charges of reckless driving with serious bodily harm and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon resulting in bodily harm. She was immediately released on $25,000 bond.
Prosecutors have since charged Mumby with vehicular homicide in light of Waterman’s death. She remains free on bond.
Mumby, who is still pregnant, is due back in court on November 19. Meanwhile, Waterman’s mother suggested they will seek custody of the unborn baby girl.
“We’ll do whatever we can do to bring her to us,” she told Syracuse.com.
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