Published: September 09, 2008 01:08 am      

Victim in hit-and-run incident dies

FSU student faces charges

FAIRMONT — A 19-year-old Fairmont State University student was charged Monday with murder for “deliberately” running over a man early Saturday morning in the 900 block of Fairmont Avenue, police said.

Robert James Winning of Montrose in Randolph County was first charged with attempted murder in the death of Christopher Williams.

When Williams, 28, of Pittsburgh, died in a hospital shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday, city police detectives charged Winning with murder, Fairmont Police Chief Mark Hayes said.

The two men had an argument in Winning’s car just before Winning ran down Williams, according to a police criminal complaint filed Monday in Marion County Magistrate Court.

“Williams was a passenger in Winning’s vehicle during the verbal altercation,” between the men, the complaint states. Winning was driving a Ford Focus.

Winning then stopped in a parking lot in the 900 block of Fairmont Avenue.

“Williams exited the vehicle and began walking north on the sidewalk. Winning accelerated his vehicle, running over the curb stops, driving on the sidewalk and striking Williams,” the complaint states.

The hit-and-run attack happened about 5:02 a.m. Saturday, Chief Hayes said in a press release Monday.

Williams “was rushed by the Marion County Rescue Squad to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown,” the chief said.

Winning was arraigned in a videoconference on the murder charge Monday by Marion Chief Magistrate Hank Middlemas.

Middlemas did not set a bond. He told Winning that only a circuit judge can grant or set bail in a felony charge that carries a sentence of life imprisonment like murder.

Winning applied for a court-appointed lawyer and also asked for a preliminary hearing in 10 days.

A Fairmont State University spokeswoman said Winning is enrolled at the school.

E-mail Bill Byrd at bbyrd@timeswv.com.