Woman Accused of Killing 8-Year-Old in Hit-and-Run Laughs During First Court Hearing

A woman from Florida accused of fleeing the scene after crashing her car, resulting in the death of an 8-year-old boy, laughed and nodded her head during her first court appearance on March 13. The incident occurred while the judge was reading out her charges via video conference.

The accused is identified as Victoria Johnson, a 30-year-old woman from Winter Heaven, Florida, who is accused in a hit-and-run case which resulted in the death of an 8-year-old boy. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson was arrested on March 12 and presented to court the following day, March 13, when she was seen laughing.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s office, Johnson is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, tampering with evidence, driving without a license and giving false information to law enforcement officers.

Johnson appeared before the judge for the first time on March 13 via video conference when the charges against her were officially announced. During her appearance, Johnson was seen laughing and nodding her head. After Johnson appeared to laugh in disbelief, she said, “I wasn’t even in the car.”

Johnson was then advised not to speak about the facts of her case in front of the judge and was asked whether she wanted to return the following day for a continuance after securing an attorney. To which Johnson replied, “ I don't know which one is better.” To which the judge responded, “I can't give you any advice, ma’am. I’ll appoint the public defender today if you want me to.” Johnson replied yes.

On March 11, just before 8:30 p.m., the deputies received a 911 call from the Faith Baptist Church in Winter Heaven. The caller reported that two boys were run over by a vehicle before the driver fled the scene. Both boys were attending a church event and attempting to cross the Crystal Beach Road when they were struck by the vehicle.

One of the boys, an 8-year-old, died from the injuries shortly after the crash, while another 10-year-old boy suffered a broken arm, broken femur and compound skull fracture. He remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

A witness described the vehicle as a dark-colored mid-sized SUV, and parts found at the crash scene were consistent with the vehicle's lower portion.

Surveillance footage collected by authorities shows a truck travelling southbound and another vehicle heading northbound. Audio from the footage suggested something was stuck by the second vehicle before it was seen turning east, authorities said.

Investigators later learned that Johnson called authorities on March 12, the day after the crash, to report that her dark blue 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe had been stolen. After deputies located her, Johnson initially said her SUV was stolen the night before but later said she had loaned it to someone else who did not return it before admitting she was driving the vehicle during the crash.

Johnson said that on the night of March 11, “she thought she might have hit someone.”