After being sentenced, driver meets widower of Centre County mom-to-be killed in crash
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- Derhammer met Saunders after sentencing to hear his account and seek closure.
- Plea deal granted Saunders immunity so he could speak candidly about crash.
- Derhammer launched Koleton Cares to support new mothers and honor family.
Walt Derhammer III wanted the chance Thursday to face the man responsible for the crash that killed his pregnant wife, hoping for answers — and a measure of closure — about what happened in the moments before their future as parents was cut short.
Christopher J. Saunders agreed. As part of his plea deal, he said he would give accurate answers to questions about the circumstances and cause of the September 2024 high-speed crash that killed Katharyn “Kayte” Derhammer.
Hoping to foster an environment where Saunders could be transparent without worry about collateral consequences, the meeting took place immediately after he received his jail sentence. The group in the room was intentionally small — Derhammer, Saunders, a Centre County prosecutor, a defense attorney and a few sheriff's deputies.
It was not recorded and Saunders was granted criminal immunity to speak honestly. A small contingent of Derhammer’s family watched via Zoom. It lasted about 30 minutes.
“What we actually got out of it was not just a story, but also a little bit of a humanization of Mr. Saunders,” Derhammer told the Centre Daily Times. “It was nice to sit man-to-man with each other and finally have a conversation about what had happened and how both of us are living with the unfortunate circumstances that came from that day.”
Derhammer said it was the first time the two men talked since the crash.
“It was nice to finally have a little bit of the humanization to the guy that we have seen as someone who took away our futures,” Derhammer said. “There’s been a desire for that for me to finally get to hear what that day was like for him, what had happened and all that. It was nice to finally get to meet face-to-face.”
Centre County Assistant District Attorney Matt Metzger, who joined the office in 2018, told the CDT it was the first time he was ever part of such a meeting — or that he even heard something like it taking place.
“The family made it clear that getting the closure in the form of Mr. Saunders’ answers about what happened was very important to their healing process,” Metzger wrote in an email ahead of the hearing. “I sought to give them an opportunity to speak with him in the way most likely to come with honest answers. I’m hopeful that what he says will give them what they are looking for.”
Plea deal also includes jail time, restitution
Saunders pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony count of accidents involving death while not properly licensed in the killing of Kayte, who was 33 weeks pregnant. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of her son, Koleton.
Prosecutors did not originally charge Saunders for causing Koleton’s death, citing a 2001 state Supreme Court ruling that found a fetus cannot be considered a victim of vehicular homicide because the law “does not recognize a fetus as a person.”
But they did not stand in the way of the change as part of the plea deal. Multiple family members have said they would like to see state legislators consider updating the law.
Saunders, 33, of Boalsburg, was sentenced by Centre County Judge Brian Marshall to 11 1/2 to 23 1/2 months in the Centre County Correctional Facility. He received credit for more than eight months served since his March arrest.
But the practical effect is Saunders will likely spend between 29 1/2 to 47 1/2 months incarcerated. He was on federal supervision at the time of the crash and his revocation is expected to add an extra 18 to 24 months to what he received in Centre County.
He was also ordered to pay more than $20,000 in restitution and fines. Nine charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement, including a felony count of vehicular homicide.
Prosecutors allege crash was caused by distracted driving
Saunders was driving a 2012 GMC Yukon about 10 mph over the speed limit when he rear-ended Derhammer on Interstate 99 northbound near the Shiloh Road overpass in Benner Township. He was driving with a suspended license for the sixth time.
Rush-hour traffic was backed up and nearly at a standstill because of an unrelated traffic incident. The crash occurred during daylight and with no adverse road conditions.
State police at Rockview said Saunders was distracted, never applied the brake and kept his foot on the accelerator until less than a second before crash. He was not impaired, but troopers said he was unable to explain why he did not see the stationary traffic.
They intimated in an affidavit of probable cause that Saunders may have been using his cellphone.
Defense lawyer Edwin Leon sought to have any mention of distracted driving suppressed, arguing in a court document that prosecutors did not have tangible evidence to prove their theory. At Saunders’ preliminary hearing, Metzger acknowledged investigators did not have “evidence of what specifically was distracting him in those moments.”
Derhammer, 29, was flown by medical helicopter to Geisinger Medical Center. Koleton died at the hospital of maternal blunt force trauma and his mom died of multiple blunt force trauma, the Montour County Coroner’s Office said.
No one else was injured in the four-car, chain reaction crash. Crime scene photographs included in court documents showed Derhammer’s 2011 Nissan Rogue was severely damaged with its trunk, rear seat and B-pillar crushed into the driver’s area.
Walt Derhammer agreed to an insurance settlement of $300,000, the full limit on the policy. His attorneys waived their normal fees and instead represented him free of charge.
‘This kind of loss does not heal’
Mourning family members and friends unleashed a range of emotions Thursday. Most looked directly at Saunders and addressed him by name.
Walt Derhammer said he struggled to explain the past 14 1/2 months of “pain and agony.” He spoke of wrapping Christmas presents alone, taking roses to his wife’s grave on Valentine’s Day and the affliction that comes with other life milestones that have been forever changed.
“I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to ruin someone’s life, taking someone’s life” Derhammer said as he looked at Saunders.
One remembered Kayte as a friend and coworker, another spoke with anger and another told Saunders he was selfish. Walt Derhammer II bluntly told Saunders he “destroyed my life.”
Mike Kocher, Kayte’s father, said his “entire world fell apart” when he learned of his daughter and grandson’s deaths. The wound, he said, will never close.
“This kind of loss does not heal,” Kocher said. “It becomes part of you.”
Saunders spoke briefly and apologized, telling the nearly full courtroom that he is trying to “right my wrongs any way I can.”
Finding a way to turn tragedy into love
Katyte’s family has further remembered her as beautiful, caring and full of kindness. She was a State College Area High School and Penn State alumna who loved the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, as well as entertaining and celebrating Christmas.
“She was going to be a wonderful mother,” Derhammer said in a September 2024 interview with the CDT. “She cared about everything, so there was never going to be anything that was overlooked or not thought of.”
Her parents, Kocher and Mary Fogle, said they saw her nurturing and protective nature from a young age, especially when she would dote on her younger sister.
“By who she was, the heart she had,” Fogle said at the time when asked how she’d like her daughter to be remembered. “The dedication, and the mother she would have become.”
Added Kocher in response to the same question: “A beautiful soul. Very gracious.”
Derhammer has also spoken openly about channeling his grief into Koleton Cares, a nonprofit for new and expecting mothers that is meant to honor the memory of his wife and son.
Those who would like to get involved with the nonprofit once it becomes official can contact Derhammer through the nonprofit’s Facebook page or at koletoncares@gmail.com.
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 6:14 PM.