The Super Bowl weekend began with anticipation, but for Daniel Waterman, it ended in a nightmare. A routine drive along a Florida interstate with his girlfriend, Leigha Mumby, spiraled into a devastating crash that would ultimately claim his life months later.
Waterman, just 22 years old, endured critical injuries in the February wreck. He fought for his life, slipping into a coma that held him captive for agonizing weeks. But within that darkness, a flicker of consciousness returned.
Awakening in a hospital bed, weakened and broken, Waterman found the strength to speak. He recounted a chilling confession to investigators – a deliberate act by Mumby, fueled by anger and a disturbing declaration: “I don't care what happens. You'll get what you deserve.”
The extent of Waterman’s injuries was almost unimaginable. His grandfather described a body shattered by the impact: a broken neck, a fractured back, a collarbone splintered in three places, dislocated hips, and a leg and ankle completely broken. “He broke everything,” the grandfather lamented, “It wasn’t much, not broken. He was scratched up all over the place.”
Initially arrested on charges of reckless driving and aggravated battery, Mumby maintained her innocence. But the narrative shifted dramatically with Waterman’s death on October 8th. The charges were elevated to vehicular homicide, a stark acknowledgment of the gravity of the situation.
Evidence painted a grim picture, according to the Waterman family’s attorney. The car hadn’t slowed down; it was accelerating towards impact. This wasn’t a tragic accident, he asserted, but a calculated act with devastating consequences.
Adding another layer of complexity to the tragedy, Mumby was pregnant with Waterman’s child at the time of the crash. She has since given birth to their daughter, a bittersweet arrival shadowed by immense loss and legal battles.
Waterman had eagerly anticipated fatherhood, dreaming of returning home to his family and the baby girl he would never meet. He spoke constantly of his desire to be with them, a heartbreaking testament to a future stolen too soon.
The case now unfolds with the weight of a life lost, a family shattered, and a newborn daughter who will grow up knowing her father’s final moments were filled with pain and a desperate attempt to reveal the truth.
