Father of Aztec teacher killed in crash relieved with reinstatement of case against driver
It’s been nearly four years since Dayton Conway’s daughter Amy was killed in an automobile crash on U.S. Highway 550 north of Aztec, and the Alexandria, Louisiana, resident says in that time he has come to accept her absence.
Nevertheless, he can’t help but feel regret for the lives she could have changed had she not died, he said.
“The ones who are hurt are the students in Farmington and Aztec who would have had an excellent teacher for years to come,” Conway said of his daughter, who taught English at Aztec High School.
Amy Hauman was killed July 17, 2019, when the vehicle she was driving south on U.S. Highway 550 near Cedar Hill was struck from behind by Christopher Middlebrook, who police investigators say was driving at a speed of more than 100 mph seconds before impact. Seriously injured in the crash was Hauman’s passenger and fellow Aztec High School English teacher, Cynthia Mortensen.
Middlebrook was charged with third-degree felony counts of homicide by vehicle (reckless driving) and great bodily harm by vehicle (reckless driving). But the case against him was dismissed a little more than two years later when Chief District Court Judge Curtis Gurley based on the defense’s argument that Middlebrook’s speed alone was not enough to meet the standard for reckless driving.
The 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office appealed that ruling, and on June 20, the New Mexico Court of Appeals ruled that Gurley had erred in dismissing the case, leading to the reinstatement of charges against Middlebrook. Conway said he was very relieved by the ruling, especially since he was left with little faith in the justice system after Gurley’s initial ruling.
“We were flabbergasted with his ruling that released Middlebrook,” Conway said.
Maggie Shepard, the communication director for the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender, the agency representing Middlebrook, said the defendant’s attorneys were refraining from commenting on the case as it continues through the process. Shepard has said previously Middlebrooks’ attorneys intend to ask the New Mexico Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals ruling.
Mortensen did not respond to a phone message from The Daily Times requesting an interview.
'He was there like a rocket'
Conway described Middlebrooks’ alleged actions that day as gross negligence, recounting how the defendant, according to a New Mexico State Police investigation, drove up behind Hauman at excessive speed after she had executed a U-turn on the highway, then collided with her when she tried to move into the right lane.
“He was there in an instant. He was there like a rocket — a rocket,” Conway said.
Conway — a U.S. Air Force veteran who lived and trained in many parts of the Southwest and Alaska before retiring to Louisiana — tearfully described how investigators told him his daughter, who suffered a broken neck, lived for only a few minutes after the crash. He said she died at the scene after rescuers removed her from her vehicle out of fear that the automobile would catch fire.
He said he is grateful that she was not in pain for long, and he said he is comforted by his faith, which teaches him that Hauman has moved on to a better place. He said his daughter — who lived in the Farmington area on and off for 15 years — had a significant impact on those around her.
“Amy has been through the ringer in her life, but she enjoyed teaching, she enjoyed kids,” Conway said. “She was very popular as a teacher. She had a very down-to-earth personality.”
Hauman had a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico and a graduate degree from Northern Arizona University, Conway said. She was always deeply concerned about the young people she worked with, he said, and much of her legacy is tied up in legislation she helped get passed in Alaska that is designed to protect students from teachers who attempt to take advantage of them sexually.
Conway said the law has been used as a model for other states interested in adopting similar measures.
While his daughter worked hard to secure justice for others, Conway doesn’t believe she has received it herself in the Middlebrooks case.
“So many judges are not interested in rendering justice,” he said. “It seems like victims’ rights are totally trampled and perpetrators rights are championed.”
Conway said he is grateful to the District Attorney’s Office for the way it has handled the case but that prosecutors were shackled by Gurley’s ruling. Now that the initial ruling has been reversed and the charges against Middlebrooks have been reinstated, he said he hopes the Supreme Court affirms the appeals court ruling and that a trial can be held quickly.
“Hopefully, the witnesses remember enough details,” he said, noting the amount of time that has gone by since the incident occurred. “But I have a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement, and I know that getting a conviction under these circumstances is a real challenge.”
He said he has no plans to attend Middlebrooks’ trial, although he said many of her family members likely will choose to be there. But if the defendant is convicted, Conway intends to make a quick trip back to New Mexico for the sentencing hearing.
“I intend to be there, and I hope the judge will allow me to say something,” he said.
According to nmcourts.gov, in the years since the crash, Middlebrook has been cited numerous times for driving without proof of insurance, driving without insurance, improperly displayed registration, driving with a suspended license and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. Numerous failure to appear in court or failure to pay warrants have been issued for him.
In December 2021, he was cited for speeding between 21 and 25 mph more than the speed limit. He pleaded guilty in May 2022.
'Amy did a lot of good in this world'
Conway said his wife has remained in touch with Mortensen since the crash, and he noted happily that Mortensen adopted Hauman’s terrier Foxy after his daughter’s death. Foxy was in Hauman’s car at the time of the incident and was uninjured, but the dog ran away in the aftermath of the crash and was missing for several days.
Eventually, Foxy reappeared at the crash site, and Mortensen took the dog in, he said.
Conway insisted that he and his large family — Hauman had six siblings — haven’t lost her and that they all will be together at some point in the future. He said he is very proud of what his daughter accomplished in the time she was here.
“Amy did a lot of good in this world,” he said.
He recounted her birth in vivid detail, explaining that the family was living in El Paso when Conway’s wife delivered Hauman. Conway, who wasn’t allowed on the maternity ward at the institution in those days, sneaked into his wife’s room anyway and found her holding their baby girl.
“My wife looked at that beautiful blonde wonder and couldn’t sleep,” he said. “She just looked at her all night long,”
Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.
This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Crash victim's father says daughter had big impact on those around her
