‘My baby is dead’: Mom speaks out after son killed in hit-and-run crash in Bedford Heights

BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) - The mother of a Cleveland man killed one week ago in a hit-and-run accident is sharing her heartbreaking story, on the same day that the suspect in the troubling case surrendered to police. Juliette Peterson was on her way to pick up her son from work on May 13 when she discovered that he had been killed as he was walking along Aurora Road in Bedford Heights. Larz Biederman, 33, never had a chance that early morning. "I pulled up, I started screaming and I went running up towards him, and the police officers said, 'hold on, hold on, let them check him, let's see if he's Ok.' I said 'my baby is dead,'" his mother, Juliette Peterson, told FOX 8. She was horrified when investigators later revealed that her son had been struck by a pick-up truck, and the driver never bothered to stop. "I've got to stop trying to understand why because it just makes no sense. You don't leave someone, you don't hurt someone and leave them. You try to get them help," she said. A thorough and intense investigation by Bedford Heights police, which included the use of license plate readers, revealed that just four minutes after Biederman was struck and killed, the driver of the pick-up was pulled over for speeding in nearby North Randall. The driver was cited for speeding and investigators said he later fled to his home in Michigan. But through technology and good old-fashioned police work, detectives were able to place 41-year-old Justin William Thompson behind the wheel of the truck at the time Biederman was killed. "So thankful. I felt comforted. I felt like somebody cared because somebody left my child on the road like he didn't matter," said Peterson. "But the detectives and the police, they acted like he mattered, like his life really mattered to more than just to me." Investigators said the evidence gathered in the case included the pick-up truck driven by Thompson, with the tell-tale front-end damage from the deadly collision. As part of their investigation, authorities also found video evidence that Thompson had been drinking at a bar just prior to the deadly accident. On Wednesday, Thompson turned himself in at Bedford Heights police headquarters, one week after Biederman lost his life. "It's stupid, it makes no sense with Uber, Lyft, all these options, and the fact that you know better. It's not fair, it's not right and how could you be so dark and uncaring and just empty to leave somebody like that and you know you're wrong?" Larz's mother said. Thompson is now facing charges that include aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and leaving the scene of an accident. The family and friends of Biederman, including his co-workers at a Bedford Heights restaurant, are remembering Larz and paying tribute to his zest for life. They are also sending a message about their quest to hold Thompson accountable by wearing t-shirts that read, "Justice for Larz." "This was about making sure that my son's voice is heard, and his voice is my voice. That's my child," said Peterson. We are told a celebration of life for Biederman will be held on June 4. Meanwhile, Thompson is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.