VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A Chesapeake man that caused a fatal crash on I-264 in Virginia Beach in March was sentenced Monday to four years and 30 days in prison.
Christopher Hudson Kita, 29, was sentenced for charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and DUI. A judge originally sentenced Kita to 10 years and 365 days in prison with six years and 335 days suspended, plus a fine of $500. Kita’s driver’s license was also suspended indefinitely.
Kita pled guilty on August 23. On March 5 at 3:25 a.m., a Virginia State Police trooper responded to a disabled vehicle that was stopped in the left-hand lane of I-264 West at the Witchduck Road overpass. A few minutes later, the call was changed to a crash with injuries and an unconscious female later identified as 22-year-old Teja Freeman.
A trooper arrived at the scene one minute later to find a two-vehicle crash. Freeman’s vehicle had been stopped in the left-hand lane for unknown reasons. After further investigation, it was found that the vehicle had been struck from behind at a high rate of speed by a Toyota Tacoma that was driven by Kita.
Freeman was pronounced dead at the scene. Kita had a strong odor of alcohol and slurred his speech. He was also unsteady on his feet and had glassy bloodshot eyes. Kita showed multiple signs of impairment on field sobriety tests. He told police that he only had one margarita at a friend’s house, however, police found photos on his phone that showed him drinking at a bar that night. His blood alcohol content was at .14, almost twice the legal limit.
Witnesses described Kita’s driving as being aggressive, erratic and above the speed limit. One witness said that Kita was riding closely behind him and then moved into the left lane to pass the witness, revving his engine as he did so. The witness came upon the accident scene moments after that encounter.
Another witness said he was able to maneuver around Kita’s vehicle, avoiding a collision.
The victim’s vehicle had its lights and right blinker on. A “black box” recovered from Kita’s vehicle was analyzed an estimated his speed to be 78 miles per hour before the crash.
At the time of this incident, Kita was on bond for a DUI arrest that occurred about a month earlier in Chesapeake. He was ultimately convicted of Reckless Driving in that case.
Related:
Norfolk woman killed in DUI crash on I-264 in Virginia Beach
