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Seven months after a deadly accident a Wichita man faces Reckless Murder charges.
Six-year-old Feodora Two Hatchett died last June. Officers say Raudel Sandoval, Junior, hit the car she was riding in. Tuesday, the state filed criminal charges against him for her death.
"My sister, Maria, just found out," said David Vance, Feodora's uncle. "It was kind of a shock to Maria and a shock to friends and family."
News that Two Hatchett's family had waited months for came by phone Monday evening.
"A sense of justice," said Vance, describing how the family feels about the charges. "In a way, I think that the best way to word it for us is that it is bringing a closure to us."
After seven months it was something the family had given up on.
"We'd discussed it a few times and just really thought, you know, that it had just stopped and that nothing was going to come anymore of it," he said.
It's been tough, especially since Feodora's mother and sister were also in the accident.
"The night it happened, you know, I was in tears and my wife was in tears," Vance said.
Feodora's mother and sister have since moved to Oklahoma.
"It was really an abrupt moving, you know? With the heartache of everything," explained Vance. "And Feodora's buried in Oklahoma."
Other relatives and friends, still living in the neighborhood, built a memorial around the base of a tree near the corner where Feodora died. They continue to maintain it. Her uncle says he'll occasionally find excuses to drive by just to see it.
"In a way it's kind of touched all of our lives," he said about the accident.
Feodora's death brought together everyone she'd known and loved. The children she played with continue to make her a part of their lives. At New Year's they found a way to celebrate with her.
"The kids printed off a picture of Feodora and framed it and hung the picture up so that she would still be a part of their New Year's Eve bash," Vance said.
The family says they've learned something from her death.
"Just cherish, you know, every moment you have," said Vance.
Feodora's uncle says knowing there will be a trial brings a sense of relief for all of them.
"We pray for him the same way we would, you know, our niece that passed away," he said. "It's just, it's just comforting to know that something's happening for it."
Police say Sandoval was driving as much as twice the speed limit when he hit the car Feodora was riding in. Neighbors have complained about a chronic speeding problem at that intersection of Mt. Vernon and Edgemoor.