Father Who Fled Theft Found Guilty In Son’s Death

A three-day trial for a New Jersey father who allegedly fled the scene of a car wreck where his son died concluded on Wednesday.

Christopher D. Kuhn, 28, of Hamilton, New Jersey, was found guilty on all charges as his trial wrapped up on Wednesday. The trial was overseen by Bucks County Judge Robert O. Baldi. Kuhn was convicted of homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death while not properly licensed, driving under the influence of controlled substances, retail theft, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person, failure to stop at a red signal, driving under suspension or revocation, reckless driving, and failure to use safety restraints on a child.

Kuhn’s 2-year-old son Qadan Trievel died after the unrestrained toddler was ejected from the Jeep SUV onto Route 13 at the Home Depot entrance to the Levittown Town Center on October 3. The toddler fractured his skull and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Shortly after the fatal incident, authorities released that Kuhn looked at his son’s lifeless body before running away as Tullytown police showed up at the multi-vehicle wreck site.

The crash happened as Kuhn, who was unlicensed, was fleeing the Walmart in Tullytown. In the store, he stole a $228 speaker system and was confronted by loss prevention. He left the store, covered the Jeep’s license plate, and sped away, throwing the boy in the back seat.

Closing remarks from Kuhn’s public defenders and Deputy District Attorney Bob James centered around Kuhn’s exhibited malice, or lack there of, said Larry King, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office.

“It was a tough case. We were not permitted to argue that the defendant showed malice by failing to put the child into a car seat, so we had to build on other elements of malice, beginning with the retail theft and ending in the death of a 2-year-old child. Everything that went on that day was not just a tragedy, as the defense portrayed it, but it was malicious, and I obviously agree with the judge’s decision,” James said.

During the trial, 20 minutes of police video from the crash seen was shown. The boy was seen being taken to an ambulance.

“The defendant gave greater importance to a $200 speaker and then to his own freedom than he did to the life of his son Qadan.  Qadan deserved a better father. At the very least, one who would not leave him alone, on the road, critically injured, like Chris Kuhn to the rest of the debris that was ejected from his car during the crash,” James said following the conviction.

Kuhn’s sentencing has been scheduled for June 15. He could face 20 to 40 years behind bars just for the murder charge.

Kuhn will remain under $5 million cash bail at the Bucks County Correctional Facility until then.