Mother charged with hindering prosecution

Posted by Press Release on July 9, 2022

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer announced Friday that a charge of hindering prosecution has been brought against Amanda Washington, the mother of Saddiq Washington, the 22-year-old charged in the June 29, murder of King Hua.

“Last week’s tragic murder of King Hua has truly shocked the entire Delaware County community. The actions of defendant Saddiq Washington were as inexplicable as they were horrifying. As a result of his actions, two families have been irreparably broken – his own, and cannot ignore Amanda Washington’s actions. She chose to speed away from the scene of the crime. She chose to remain silent even after the death of Mr. Hua had been announced. It was a catastrophic dereliction of her duties as a parent and as a citizen that led to today’s charge,” said District Attorney Stollsteimer.

Amanda Washington is charged with hindering prosecution in connection with a murder allegedly committed by her son.

On Wednesday, June 29, at approximately 8:42 a.m., officers from the Springfield Township Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of S. State Road at Meetinghouse Lane for a report of a shooting. Police located a white Toyota Camry resting in the right lane with a hole in the windshield from an apparent gunshot. It became clear that the driver of the vehicle, King Hua, had been shot. He was transported to Crozer Chester Medical Center where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Detectives photographed the crime scene and collected 9mm cartridge casings. Officers interviewed a witness who stated that she had observed a dark-colored SUV aggressively changing lanes and moving forward in front of her vehicle. The SUV pulled in front of the victim’s vehicle and the witness heard two gunshots and observed a black male leaning out of the front passenger window firing at the victim’s vehicle. The male then reentered the SUV and it fled southbound at a high rate of speed.

Investigators scoured the area and located several surveillance systems. On the surveillance video, investigators were able to identify a dark blue Chevrolet Equinox that matched the description provided by the witness, and they were able to obtain the vehicle’s Pennsylvania registration plate. The owner of the vehicle was identified, and a Darby address was listed on the registration.

Officers arrived at the listed address and observed the suspect vehicle in the driveway. Officers surveilled the house while awaiting a search warrant. On Thursday, June 30, at approximately 5 p.m. three females, including Amanda Washington, were observed leaving the residence and getting into the suspect vehicle. Officers secured the vehicle and the residence, and all the occupants of the vehicle and the house, including Saddiq Washington and his mother Amanda Washington, were transported to Darby Borough Police Department for further investigation.

Officers interviewed defendant Amanda Washington in reference to the murder of King Hua. She waived her Miranda rights. She explained that she and her son were driving on her way to work on the morning of June 29. She said that she was late and that the driver of the white Camry was driving very slowly. She said that when she got in front of Mr. Hua’s vehicle, she heard shots and realized that her son was shooting out of the passenger side of the vehicle.

She asked her son what he was doing, to which he responded “Go. Go. Go. Go, mom.” As they continued on her way to work, she said that her son said “Mom I hope I didn’t kill nobody.”

She stated that she knew her son had a license to carry a firearm and that he owned a firearm, but that she did not know that he had a gun on him at the time of the shooting until he fired the gun out of the vehicle.

“I know that I speak for everyone in the Delaware County law enforcement community when I say that we are all struggling to make sense of this utterly senseless crime. While charging these defendants will bring a small measure of peace to the community, it in no way lessens the shock of this crime, can never fully restore the sense of peace that each of us tries to enjoy as we drive to work each day,” said Stollsteimer.

The defendant was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James Merkins, and bail was set at $50,000 (10 percent), with electronic home monitoring. The defendant is represented by Tracie M. Burns, Esq.