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Khrista Richter

Age : 65

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 08/20/2021

Location : North Dale Mabry Highway at West Sligh Avenue

City : Tampa

County : Hillsborough

State : Florida

Agency : Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

Officer(s) :Daniel Lawrence Hernandez

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed in crash caused by off-duty detention deputy

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/20/2021, off-duty Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Detention Deputy Daniel Lawrence Hernandez crashed his 2020 Ford Mustang into a Nissan Murano driven by 65-year-old Krista Richter at North Dale Mabry Highway and West Sligh Avenue in Tampa. Richter suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the hospital nine days later. Her husband, Peter Richter, 63, was riding with her and suffered serious injuries. Hernandez was driving his personal vehicle and was not responding to a police call or engaged in official duties.
On 08/20/2021, 65-year-old Khrista Richter was fatally injured when off-duty Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy Daniel Hernandez, driving his personal Ford Mustang at extreme speed, crashed into the Nissan SUV occupied by Richter and her husband, Peter Richter, at North Dale Mabry Highway and West Sligh Avenue in Tampa.
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Shortly before 8:00 p.m., Khrista and Peter Richter were traveling in their Nissan after leaving a restaurant. Khrista was making a left turn from Dale Mabry Highway onto Sligh Avenue when Hernandez approached in the opposite direction in his Mustang.
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Hernandez was off duty and was not responding to an emergency, pursuing another vehicle, or performing a law-enforcement function. Florida Highway Patrol investigators determined that excessive speed caused the collision.
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Data recovered from the Mustang's electronic data recorder later became central evidence in Hernandez's criminal trial. The recorder showed the Mustang traveling approximately 109 mph in the 45-mph zone immediately before the collision. Trial evidence placed the speed at 109.2 mph approximately 1.5 seconds before impact.
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Hernandez's Mustang struck the passenger side of the Richters' Nissan with tremendous force. Khrista suffered catastrophic injuries. Peter was seriously injured but survived. Hernandez suffered minor injuries.
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Khrista later died from her injuries. She was a breast cancer survivor whose family described her as a caring person and loving aunt. Her husband, Peter, survived the crash and spent the following years seeking accountability for her death.
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Florida Highway Patrol investigated the collision. In April 2022, Hernandez was charged with vehicular homicide and reckless driving with serious bodily injury. After the charges were filed, he resigned from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and surrendered to authorities.
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Hernandez disputed the prosecution's reconstruction of his speed. At his 2025 trial, an FHP trooper testified that the collision would not have occurred had Hernandez been traveling at the posted speed limit because Richter's Nissan would have had sufficient time to clear the intersection.
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On 09/26/2025, a Hillsborough County jury found Hernandez guilty of vehicular homicide and reckless driving with serious bodily injury. He was taken into custody after the verdict.
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Khrista's husband, Peter Richter, said after the verdict that the four years following his wife's death had been extremely difficult. Khrista's sister, Connie Carroll, described her as caring and loving and said the conviction brought a measure of justice for her sister.
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On 11/21/2025, Hernandez was sentenced to 15 years in state prison followed by five years of probation for causing the fatal crash.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Daniel Hernandez was a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy at the time of the fatal collision. He was off duty and driving his personal vehicle when he killed Khrista Richter and seriously injured Peter Richter. Hernandez resigned from HCSO after he was criminally charged in April 2022. A jury subsequently convicted him of vehicular homicide and reckless driving with serious bodily injury, and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by five years of probation.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/hillsborough-county-detention-deputy-on-trial-in-deadly-crash-that-killed-woman-injured-husband
https://www.fox13news.com/news/former-detention-deputy-found-guilty-in-crash-that-killed-tampa-woman
https://www.yahoo.com/news/former-detention-deputy-trial-deadly-crash-killed-woman-injured-husband
https://www.fox13news.com/news/hillsborough-detention-deputy-charged-with-vehicular-homicide
https://www.teamhcso.com/News/PressRelease/d932c8f6-06d7-4b76-873a-b4691ebcd1fb/22-043
https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsborough/2021/11/05/off-duty-hillsborough-detention-deputy-under-investigation-in-fatal-tampa-crash/
https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2022/04/04/hillsborough-detention-deputy-arrested-on-vehicular-homicide-charge/
https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2025/11/21/hillsborough-deputy-vehicular-homicide-sentence-tampa-crash/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/former-hillsborough-detention-deputy-sentenced-230139574.html