Mattapan man convicted of running down pedestrian while drunk

Dervin Hibbert, 54, faces up to 15 years in prison following his conviction today on charges he drunkenly drove a minivan backwards down Cummins Highway on Nov. 23, 2013, hitting and dragging Walter Harris to his death, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

The jury found Hibbert guilty of motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence; it deadlocked on convicting him of the more serious charge of motor-vehicle homicide.

According to the DA's office:

Assistant District Attorney Ryan Mingo of the DA’s Major Felony Bureau introduced evidence and testimony to prove that Hibbert was intoxicated and behind the wheel a Mercury Mountaineer at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 23, 2013, when he pulled over and briefly stopped the vehicle in front of a Cummins Highway liquor store. He then accelerated in reverse and onto the sidewalk, traveling several car-lengths while on the sidewalk and into a fire hydrant, knocking it from its mounting. Hibbert continued in reverse, striking Harris as he stood outside a minivan speaking to its occupants and dragging his body several feet, the evidence proved.

Hibbert then attempted to travel forward while still on the sidewalk but was stopped by witnesses. Blood tests performed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital after the crash showed that Hibbert's blood alcohol content was .141, well above the legal limit to drive.