June 2022 shooting calls for road rage, gets 15-40 years in prison

MEDIA COURTHOUSE — A 24-year-old Darby man was sentenced to 15-40 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to third-degree murder in the June 2022 road-rage shooting death of 54-year-old King Hua during rush hour in Springfield.

Saddiq Washington, of the first block of South 13th Street, also pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault, added by Deputy District Attorney Michael Hill during a hearing before Common Pleas Court Judge George Pagano. He received a concurrent sentence of 40-80 months.

All other charges, including first-degree murder, were dropped based on the plea negotiated by Hill and his defense attorney Douglas Smith.

Sudden death

According to affidavits of probable cause for the arrest of Washington and his mother, Amanda Washington, who were driving on the morning of June 29, 2022:

Springfield police were dispatched to State Road and Meetinghouse Lane at 8:42 a.m. for a report of a shooting and found a white Toyota Camry in the right lane of State Road, heading south.

Hua was slumped in the driver’s seat with blood coming from his eye and ear and a bullet hole visible in the Camry’s windshield. Hua’s wife was also in the Camry but was unharmed.

Hua was taken to Crozer Chester Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:52 a.m. from a gunshot wound to the head.

Detectives spoke with a witness at the scene who described seeing a dark-colored SUV aggressively change lanes and drive in front of the Camry, then hearing two gunshots. The witness described seeing a black man with braided hair lean out of the SUV’s front passenger window. The man got back into the SUV before the driver fled south on State Road, the witness said.

Former Springfield Police Chief Joe Daly said at the time that there were conflicting reports about whether the shooter leaned out of the SUV or got out completely before firing.

The Manhunt

District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer had previously said the case was a priority for his office and that more than 20 Springfield detectives and the Criminal Investigations Division, led by James Nolan IV, were working around the clock to locate the shooter.

Investigators knocked on doors to collect security camera footage and determined the SUV the witness described was a dark blue Chevrolet Equinox.

Using that video, investigators were able to track the Equinox as it drove from Upper Darby to Springfield. Daly said the real breakthrough in the case came when they obtained surveillance footage from a body shop on Garrett Road that showed a license plate number.

“When we had that video, we had a license plate. We probably had reason to go after that (vehicle),” Stollsteimer said.

Investigators discovered the Equinox was registered to a man in Darby and contacted police there. Darby police said they had responded to the residence the previous Tuesday for a fire and contacted Washington at that time.

Detectives ran Washington’s name through a police database and learned that he had obtained a permit to carry a firearm in August 2021 and that he had purchased a semi-automatic 9mm pistol in June 2021. Two 9mm casings were found at the crime scene.

Police who were monitoring the Darby address around 5 p.m. on June 30 saw a dark blue Equinox parked in the driveway. Detectives were in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle when three women left the property and got into the Equinox.

Darby police and county detectives stopped the Equinox and arrested the women, then secured the home pending a warrant. Police found Washington inside the home and took him in for questioning.

Acknowledgement of guilt

Washington allegedly admitted to shooting Hua with his 9mm pistol, which was found in his bedroom at Darby’s home. He said his mother, Amanda Washington, was driving the Equinox at the time.

Seven loose 9mm bullets were found near the 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P pistol, bearing the same head stamps as the fired cartridge cases found at the crime scene.

Mother accused

Amanda Washington, 41, was also later charged with hindering apprehension by fleeing the scene of the crime.

She pleaded guilty to one charge and was sentenced to seven years’ probation in July 2023.

She told investigators she was running late for work in West Chester the morning of Hua’s death. They got stuck behind the slower-moving Camry, but were eventually able to pass it near Meetinghouse Road. That’s when she heard gunfire and realized her son was shooting out of the passenger side of the vehicle.

“What are you doing?” she allegedly asked her son, then drove away after he told her to go.

“Mom, I hope I didn’t kill anyone,” the son reportedly said as they drove toward West Chester, arriving around 9:15 a.m.

Amanda Washington told police she knew her son had a gun permit and that he owned a gun, but she didn’t know he had the gun until he started shooting.

‘Lack of humanity’

Pagano heard Monday from the victim’s sister and daughter, who described Hua as a genuine, kind and funny person who could light up a room with his jokes and smile. They said his senseless and unnecessary death has devastated a once happy family and that no words can ever express the depth of the loss they feel.

“(My mother) couldn’t sleep,” Hua’s daughter said. “Every time she closes her eyes, she says she can see that day over and over again. His last breath is what really haunts her. She feels like she saw him leave right before her eyes and she always says she wishes she could have done anything to prevent that.”

It was especially difficult because Hua had been the picture of health, she said, until his sudden and completely preventable death when Saddiq Washington put a bullet in his head.

“How can you even begin to comprehend the cruelty, the brutality, the lack of humanity that it takes to kill someone like that?” she asked. “And for what? The idea that my father’s life was less than the five minutes that Saddiq and his mother were able to save to get to work that day makes me sick.”

Hill said Hua’s death had a tremendous impact on the communities of Springfield and Delaware County, as well as on Hua’s family. While the family’s pain and grief are still raw and palpable, and no punishment can ever bring Hua back, Hill said he hoped Monday’s hearing would at least allow them to begin to heal.

‘Deeply ashamed’

Smith described the case as a “tragedy on every level for everyone involved.” He said Washington is truly remorseful and regretful for his actions that day, noting that he had never been in trouble before.

Washington’s grandfather, who lived with him for 15 years, testified that police never showed up at his door or teachers never came from school. He said Washington had never caused his family a moment of grief in the past.

Washington also tearfully apologized to the Hua family, saying his upbringing, community violence and unresolved post-traumatic stress disorder from a previous carjacking had caused him to overreact.

“I am truly upset that my actions are the reason for the loss of another life,” he said. “I could never have imagined in a million years that I would be the cause of so much heartache and pain that is affecting my family, more importantly the Hua family.”

But he added that he is a God-fearing, hardworking, law-abiding citizen. His mother raised him to be a righteous citizen with morals and values. He has vowed to make it his life’s mission to work with other young people to help them deal with their own PTSD.

“I am deeply ashamed to be standing here today, because my fear of criminals is driving me to overreact and do the unthinkable,” he said. “I am sure we can all agree that these are difficult times for everyone involved, and most importantly, the Hua family.”

He added that he hopes they can forgive him someday.

Final thoughts

Pagano said he has been on the bench for 26 years, 12 of them on the criminal case, and that in all that time he has never seen such a bizarre case.

He said he didn’t think anyone would ever truly understand why this happened, but did offer some encouraging words for Hua’s daughter.

“What I hope for you is that the pain you feel every day will eventually be slowly replaced by the many wonderful memories you have of your father, because to have a daughter like you, he must have been a truly exceptional person,” he said.

In addition to the prison sentence, Washington must pay $3,815 in restitution to the Pennsylvania State Police for lab fees and provide a DNA sample to PSP. He is to have no contact with Hua’s family.

Washington is not eligible for parole, but will receive a reduction in sentence for time served since the date of his arrest.

Also dropped were pending charges in an unrelated assault case stemming from a fight in the county jail in October.

“I am grateful that Saddiq Washington has today accepted responsibility for his heinous act in taking the life of Mr. Hua,” Stollsteimer said later. “His guilty plea to a lengthy prison sentence can never undo the damage he has done to the Hua family and our entire community, but at least we can be assured that our justice system has prevailed.”