Boalsburg man charged with homicide by vehicle in death of pregnant woman after I-99 crash
A Boalsburg man was charged Friday with homicide by vehicle in the killing of a pregnant woman who died days after a high-speed crash on a major highway in Centre County.
Christopher J. Saunders, 32, was accused of driving between 74 and 81 mph when he rear-ended Kayte M. Derhammer, 29, in September on Interstate 99. The speed limit on that stretch of highway near the Shiloh Road overpass is 65 mph.
In a strongly worded affidavit of probable cause, state police at Rockview said Saunders was distracted and kept his foot on the accelerator until less than a second before the rush-hour crash.
Troopers said Saunders showed a “reckless failure to watch the roadway for changing traffic conditions.” No defense lawyer for Saunders was listed and the Centre County Public Defender Office said it was not appointed to represent him as of Monday.
Traffic was nearly at a standstill about 6 p.m. because of an unrelated vehicle incident in the northbound lanes of the highway. Derhammer slowed her 2011 Nissan Rogue to about 10 mph, but police said Saunders rear-ended her with his 2012 GMC Yukon.
The collision set off a chain reaction crash that involved two other vehicles, both of which Derhammer hit, police wrote.
In at least two interviews, troopers said Saunders told them Derhammer crashed into another driver first and then “bounced back” toward him. He also said he “did not see that there was backed up traffic,” police wrote.
Saunders was the only occupant of his vehicle and did not appear to be impaired, police wrote. Troopers said he was unable to explain why he did not see the stationary traffic and denied speeding, being distracted or falling asleep.
But throughout the 13-page charging document, police intimated Saunders may have been distracted by his cellphone. A cellphone holder is on the dashboard of his vehicle and a charging device was found on the front seat, police wrote.
“Saunders’ attention was not on the roadway prior to the crash,” a trooper wrote. They also said Saunders’ statements were “inconsistent” with the evidence collected at the scene.
The crash occurred during daylight, while the weather was clear and 72 degrees. There were no mechanical defects in any of the vehicles that would have contributed to the crash, police wrote.
Saunders’ driver’s license was suspended at the time of the crash — which police said was his sixth offense — and did not have car insurance, police wrote.
“The data supports the conclusion, as does Saunders’ own statements, that he did not see or react to the slowed/stopped vehicles on the roadway until immediately prior to the collision,” police wrote.
Derhammer, who was 33 weeks pregnant, was flown by medical helicopter to Geisinger Medical Center. She died of maternal blunt force trauma, the Montour County Coroner’s Office said. None of the other drivers involved in the crash were injured, police said.
Saunders was also charged with a felony count of accidents involving death while not licensed, a misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter and eight summary traffic violations.
Centre County prosecutors did not file any charges that sought to hold Saunders criminally responsible for the death of Derhammer’s unborn son.
Widower Walt Derhammer told the Centre Daily Times on Monday he was “glad to hear there are repercussions” for the death of his wife, but was “disappointed to hear that there are no consequences for the death of Koleton.”
He said, however, that Cantorna’s office was clear in explaining previous court rulings that informed their decision.
In a 2001 ruling, the state Supreme Court found in a similar case that a fetus cannot be considered a victim of homicide by vehicle because the law “does not recognize a fetus as a person.”
“Hopefully someday there is a way to change the law if for any reason a family is faced with a similar situation,” Derhammer said in a text message to the CDT.
Added Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna: “The Supreme Court’s ruling doesn’t make this any less of a tragedy for the Derhammer family, who lost a wife and their child.”
Saunders was arraigned Friday night by District Judge Don Hahn, who set bail at 10% of $240,000. He is incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 26.
This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 12:49 PM.