Investigators say the suspect drove to work after the pre-dawn crash and never called 911.

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A Brooksville woman has been charged in a fatal hit-and-run after investigators said she struck 45-year-old Jacob Mull with her SUV before dawn, drove several miles to a McDonald’s where she worked, and left him dead on Wiscon Road.

The arrest brought new attention to a case that began nearly a year earlier, when Mull was found fatally injured in the roadway at the intersection of Wiscon Road and California Street. Florida Highway Patrol said its investigation tied the crash to 45-year-old Kerri Walden, who was arrested in February 2026 on a charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving death. The case matters now because it turned a long-unsolved roadside death into a criminal prosecution, and because investigators say physical evidence, traffic cameras and DNA testing helped close the gap between the April 15, 2025 collision and the arrest.

According to investigators, the crash happened shortly after 4 a.m. on April 15, 2025, at a signalized intersection in Brooksville. Troopers said Walden was stopped at a red light in a Dodge Durango at Wiscon Road and California Street. When the light changed, she drove west and struck Mull, who was in or near the westbound lane. One account of the case described Mull as crossing the road, while another report said he was lying in the roadway when he was hit. In either version, investigators said the impact was severe and that Mull was dragged a substantial distance before the SUV continued west. A Florida Highway Patrol report described the dragging distance as 87 feet. Local TV reporting on the same arrest described a shorter distance of about 37 feet after the initial impact, showing that some details in the case file have been described differently in public reports. What did not change was the core allegation: troopers said Walden kept driving instead of stopping to render aid or report the crash.

Investigators said the SUV did not remain at the scene. Instead, they traced Walden’s movements away from the intersection and toward a nearby McDonald’s, about 3 miles away, where she began a work shift. Troopers said traffic camera footage helped them track the vehicle. By the time authorities located it, the front bumper was missing and blood was found underneath the SUV. Investigators also said Walden stopped at a 7-Eleven after the crash and placed the detached bumper into the back seat. After she was advised of her rights, troopers said, Walden acknowledged that she knew she had hit something but told investigators she believed it might have been a deer. Troopers said she never called 911 and never reported a collision to law enforcement. DNA testing later matched blood found on the vehicle to Mull, according to the arrest report cited by multiple outlets. Those details became key pieces of evidence in a case that otherwise began in darkness, with no immediate arrest and a victim found dead in the road.

Mull’s death also left a family trying to explain what had happened in the hours before sunrise. An online fundraiser created in his memory said he died at about 4:20 a.m. in Brooksville after suffering fatal injuries in a hit-and-run. The fundraiser described him as the father of three children and grandfather of two, and called him “a kind-hearted, gentle soul” who loved everyone. That language came from family members and supporters, not from police, but it helped fill in the human loss behind a case that otherwise turned on measurements, camera angles and forensic testing. Early local reporting from April 2025 said the driver was unknown and described the suspect vehicle only as an older-model Dodge Durango. That left the case open for months, with authorities publicly asking for help. The later arrest suggested investigators were able to work backward from surveillance footage and vehicle damage to identify a suspect long after the road had been cleared.

The legal case remains in an early stage. Florida Highway Patrol announced Walden’s arrest on Feb. 23, 2026, and she was booked into the Hernando County Jail. Reports at the time said bond was initially set at $5,000, though one later account said the amount was adjusted to $2,500 before she bonded out the next day. Public reporting identified the charge as hit-and-run involving death, a felony offense under Florida law. No trial date has been reported publicly, and the full court record was not laid out in the initial news accounts. That leaves several questions unresolved, including whether prosecutors could seek additional charges, how the state will address the differing public descriptions of Mull’s position in the roadway, and whether defense attorneys will challenge the timeline built from cameras, vehicle damage and post-crash statements. For now, the next steps are the first court appearances, formal filings by prosecutors and the likely exchange of evidence gathered over the course of the yearlong investigation.

Even in bare police language, the scene stands out for its contrast: a dark roadway, a victim left behind, and a routine fast-food shift beginning a few miles away. That contrast has driven much of the reaction to the arrest. Family members and supporters focused on Mull’s role at home, remembering him as a father and grandfather whose death left a lasting hole. Investigators, by contrast, emphasized conduct after the crash. Troopers said Walden did not stop, did not summon help and did not notify law enforcement, even after seeing damage to the front of her SUV. Her statement that she thought she may have hit a deer is likely to be closely examined as the case moves forward, especially because investigators said she pulled off at a convenience store and handled the missing bumper before continuing to work. Those moments after impact may prove as important to the prosecution as the collision itself, because the charge centers on leaving the scene of a deadly crash.

Walden’s case now stands at the point where a long investigation has become a criminal prosecution and she has been arrested. Mull’s death has been formally tied to the case, and further court action is expected as prosecutors move from arrest paperwork to formal proceedings in Hernando County.

Author note: Last updated March 22, 2026.