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Victim had 'a very difficult life'
By CARRIE JOHNSON
© St. Petersburg Times, CITRONELLE -- After walking nearly 6 miles on a dark, isolated highway, Randy G. Leathers was getting close to his friend's house on Misty-Janell Terrace. He had set out on a roundabout journey two hours before to retrieve the keys to his Ford Crown Victoria and was hurrying back to join friend Jami Morrissey and watch Salem's Lot, a 1979 movie about a small town infested by vampires. But Leathers, 18, of Beverly Hills never got to see the film. He was struck and killed by off-duty Crystal River police Officer Christopher Thompson, who was driving to work at 10:16 p.m. Tuesday on County Road 488. On Thursday, Leathers' friends and family mourned their loss and described an outgoing, enthusiastic young man who was straightening out his life after some struggles with the law. Leathers had been at Morrissey's house earlier that day. He left about 8 p.m. when he thought he had locked his car keys in his trunk. A friend drove him to his father's house in Beverly Hills so he could retrieve a spare set. "We told him to give us a call when he got back to the house so we would know it was the right key," said Randall Leathers, Randy's father. On the way back to Morrissey's house, Leathers' friend said she had some errands to run in Dunnellon. Leathers was eager to get to Morrissey's before her 11 p.m. curfew and decided to walk the rest of the way. The friend dropped off Leathers at U.S. 41 and CR 488, about 9 miles from Morrissey's house. "Randy never wanted to wait," said Morrissey, 18. "He didn't like to sit still. He was always moving." Investigators from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office said Leathers was walking in the highway when the collision occurred. He was declared dead at the scene, 1 1/2 miles east of County Road 495. Thompson, 25, of Dunnellon has been with the department since Jan. 4. His personnel file showed he had received 15 traffic tickets since 1993 and his driver's license has been suspended twice. Thompson is currently on sick leave, according to Crystal River police Chief Jim Farley. No charges have been filed. An investigation by the Sheriff's Office is continuing, spokeswoman Ronda Hemminger Evan said. Randall Leathers heard a knock on his door at 2 a.m. Wednesday. When he saw the law enforcement officer, he feared his son was in trouble again. He said Randy had a troubled childhood and ran into scrapes with the law several times when visiting his mother in Orlando. Randy Leathers was convicted of grand larceny in March 1999. Although only 16, he was tried as an adult. He also was adjudicated as an adult for an offense he committed in July 1999: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He pleaded no contest to both charges. "He was a good kid with a good heart, but he had a very difficult life," his father said. Leathers had been putting his life in order during the past year, friends said. He earned his high school equivalency degree and made friends with youths he met through the First Baptist Church of Inglis. He was not employed. "His friends were his life," said Alison Keiser, 16, who has known Leathers since fourth grade. "He was the coolest guy you would ever meet in your entire life. He made people feel better about themselves." Although they say they'll wait for the results of the investigation before making any final judgments, Leathers' friends and family say they don't harbor any ill will against Thompson. "I hope this changes his life, too, for the better," Randall Leathers said. "You want some good to come out of this, because right now it seems so bad." Morrissey said the tragedy hit her especially hard the day after the collision. Her mother had been straightening the living room and found something wedged between the sofa cushions. They were Leathers' car keys.
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