Independence man indicted for crash that killed couple

COVINGTON, Ky. - A Kenton County grand jury indicted an Independence man for a crash that killed a couple last year.

It was Friday August, 5 in the early evening when police say Richard Michael Beers Jr., 20, ran a red light at the intersection of KY 17 and Rt. 3035 and crashed into car carrying Brian and Melissa Hehman. The couple, along with their dog, died in the crash.

A grand jury on Thursday indicted Beers on two counts of reckless homicide.

"This case is unusual in that there is no allegation of alcohol consumption, no allegation of drug consumption, no allegation of drag racing not even an allegation of texting or anything like that. All of those I would call aggravating factors have been ruled out," said Rob Sanders Kenton County's Commonwealth's Attorney.

Still, Sanders believes Beers was reckless.

"This is a case of a disregarded traffic control device but it is not one where we believe he ran the red light without a moments notice. This is one where the light had been red for quite some time. Ultimately it will be up to the jury to decide if they agree with the grand jury that this is, in fact, reckless homicide," said Sanders.

A check of his driving record reveals several other violations since 2010 that include speeding, improper passing, reckless driving and disregarding a stop sign. Beers was also charged in Boone County for burglary in April of 2011.

Holly Morgan of Independence witnessed the crash and has since become friends with the victim's family. She says they have a sense of relief that the grand jury saw the case the way they do.

"That it has been acknowledged. That it was a crime. That it was not just an accident and that they are not at fault. That someone else is," said Morgan.

Morgan started a Facebook page with the hope that one day Kentucky law might add a Negligent Homicide charge for prosecutors like Sanders to choose from. Other states like Ohio have such a charge.

If convicted in the deadly crash, Beers faces up to five years in prison. He will be arraigned in the next two weeks.