Mercer County Dad Goes To Jail For Leaving Son To Die In Crash

The New Jersey father who was found guilty of leaving his fatally injured son in a crashed vehicle after fleeing from police in Pennsylvania last year is heading to prison, according to authorities.

Christopher Kuhn, of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, was sentenced to eight and one-half to 30 years in state prison by Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert O. Baldi Monday.

On March 28, Kuhn was convicted of third-degree murder after toddler son, Qadan Trievel, was killed in an accident as he fled the scene of a shoplifting at the Tullytown Walmart in October.

Kuhn was also found guilty of homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death while not properly licensed, driving under the influence of controlled substances, retail theft, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person, failure to stop at a red signal, driving under suspension or revocation, reckless driving, and failure to use safety restraints on a child.

Prosecutors say after the crash, Kuhn stepped over his 2-year-old son's bleeding, injured body in an attempt to flee from the police.

“It was not an accident,” Baldi said to Kuhn, whose son was thrown from Kuhn's SUV and killed. Baldi told Kuhn he had been “willing to risk everyone else for the sake of you.”

Trievel was not in a car seat when Kuhn blew through a red light and hit another car on Route 13. The car rolled over and the toddler suffered a fatal skull fracture after being ejected onto the roadway. After the crash, Kuhn briefly paused by his son's motionless body,” then took off running” as police approached, prosecutors said.

The crash happened moments after Kuhn brought his son into the Walmart to steal $228 worth of sound equipment, authorities said. He fled in his Jeep as police arrived.

Emergency responders said when they arrived, the toddler was bleeding from his head and ears.
Officers ran after Kuhn, eventually catching and arresting him, while others tended to the toddler. The boy was taken to Lower Bucks Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The child's mother has since spoken publicly about the incident, calling Kuhn "disgusting."

The attached image of Christopher Kuhn was provided by the Bucks County District Attorney