My name is Chantel Bennett, I am Wayden Bennett's mom, and this is his story and why we are asking for YOUR help to make a change!

Wayden Lane Bennett was born June 24th, 09 at 12:59am... making me a MOM, making me HIS Mom... 
Our Wayden, was the light of our lives.
He was our SONshine.
Brother to 3 sisters and 1 brother, oldest son, friend to many, and loved by all who came in contact with him. He loved to help and to give. He loved to joke and make everyone laugh, himself included... he had the best, most contagious laugh. He was all BOY... he loved football, baseball, basketball, video games... he loved his dogs, motorcycles, and Little Debbie snacks. He was a Mama's boy and always loved to cuddle with her, he idolized his Dad and mimicked his every move. He loved to tease his siblings but was the first to stand up for them or teach them something new. HIs brother was his best friend since day one. 
He hated showers, and thought his burps and farts were the funniest thing on Earth.
He always wanted to be a Superhero and would often try to pretend or imagine what kind of Superhero he would be and what Superpowers he would have;
So in his final moments of life, Mom & Dad made his dreams come true... 
Wayden Lane Bennett became a Superhero, a LEGEND...
Wayden saved SIX lives with the gifts of Organ Donation. 
He was always giving and helping others in life, it was only fitting that his final acts of life would be to do the same... 
Helping others and giving them the gifts of LIFE! 

-------WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BEAUTIFUL BOY????------

October 1st, 2022 at approx. 8:50pm, my son and his best friend were walking from a church camp back to his friend's house where my son was staying the night. Hope Richmond had just left a local Mexican restaurant where she (admittedly) was drinking, where their waiters stated that she had 2 PITCHERS of margaritas. She made the decision to drive while intoxicated. That decision resulted in my son's MURDER. 

She hit Wayden with her Jeep Liberty, his 5'4, 156 lb. body was slammed into the grill of her SUV, his head slammed into the hood of her SUV, and his body slid up the hood, on to the windshield and flopped off of the roof of her SUV, face first onto the ground. 

His best friend suffered from a glancing blow to the head by the Jeep Liberty's side mirror with such force it threw him into a 12 foot ditch. 

Hope Richmond in this moment decided that HER life and how this would affect HER was more important than stopping to make sure these boys were ok, calling for help, or even just staying with them until help came. 
Instead, she decided to commit a hit & run, leaving these boys on the side of the road like roadkill. 
In THAT moment, THAT is when this horrendous accident became MURDER.

Wayden's best friend crawled out of the ditch and sat next to Wayden, who we later found out was brain dead upon impact.

Hope was not found until the early evening of October 3rd, where the police found her trying to remove the dents out of her SUV from my son's body. They also found the towel she used to clean off my son's blood and brain matter from her vehicle. 
She was arrested and initially charged with:

F4: Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death or Catastrophic Injury
F6: Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Moderate or Serious Bodily Injury
F6: Obstruction of Justice-Def. causes a person to withhold or unreasonably del

Before my son, Wayden Bennett could even donate his organs on Oct 4th, Hope Richmond bailed out of jail for $16,000.
That is how much the state of IN has decided my son's life was worth.
She was also bailed out with NO restrictions!!!
Even though she ADMITTED to the police that she had been drinking right before she hit these boys, she has prior DUI's... 
The Prosecutor stated that this information "has nothing to do with this case" and gave her 0 restrictions. 
Wayden was killed 227 days ago. 
She is still free. 
She has been reported to the police in IN, MI, and OH for drinking while out on bail and they cannot do anything because the courts did not give her any restrictions. 
I have received multiple messages from strangers telling me how she is at this bar drinking or that bar drinking. 
I get messages from her neighbors on Nettle Lake in Montpelier, OH telling me that she is ALWAYS drinking and driving and has come close to hitting them or their children while out driving UNDER THE INFLUENCE on BAIL. 

May 8th, 2023, Hope Richmond plead guilty to all charges with the plea deal that the obstruction of justice charge will be served concurrently. 
We agreed to this plea deal simply because I don't know that I can handle trial, my children or my husband can handle trial, or Wayden's best friend (who survived with minor injuries and is doing well physically, mentally he is still trying to heal) to have to go through trial... and then possible appeals. 
The plea deal took appeals off of the table.
The plea deal meant she had to openly say in a courtroom that she is GUILTY. 

I am asking for everyone's help to make CHANGE... 
-To get Justice for Wayden
-To plead with the Judge to give her the MAX (which is only 14.5 years)
-To make Indiana recognize that a Hit & Run IS a "violent offense", because apparently as of the letter we received, it does NOT. 
-To have to get Wayden's Law started, which would be a law taking the driver's license from the person who commits a Hit & Run FOR LIFE... because even though that should be a given, it is unfortunately not, meaning these people who commit these VIOLENT crimes, are allowed behind the wheel again and given the opportunity to do it AGAIN!
-To raise awareness to Indiana legislatures,  
LAWS REGARDING HIT & RUNS NEED TO BE HARSHER!!! 
Indiana is rated the top 15th state for most dangerous in regard to Hit & Runs because they don't give out the proper punishments to fit the crime... it's pretty disgusting that there are those with drug charges who will do more time than the woman WHO KILLED MY SON!!!! 

Please sign, share, and help us get Wayden's story known everywhere, please help us raise awareness!

If you would like to take it a step further and write Judge Wheat asking for him to give Hope Richmond the MAX at her sentencing hearing July 17th, 
please send the letter to
Chantel Bennett P.O. Box 222 Grabill, IN 46741 by June 28th. 
If you are close enough to join in Angola IN, there will be a peaceful protest July 17th beginning at 8am until the sentencing hearing is over where many plan to demand the MAX for Hope Richmond!

I am constantly left wondering...  
A judge's son? 
A prosecutor's son?
A cop's son? 
What if Wayden came from a family who had a TITLE, NAME, MONEY???
What would the outcome be?
Would THEIR son get JUSTICE?

MY SON'S LIFE MATTERED!!!!!! 

#JusticeForWayden #WaydenStrong #WaydensWarriors