13-year-old buys car for $80, then causes fatal high-speed wreck, Tennessee cops say
A Tennessee woman was charged after a 13-year-old boy caused a fatal car crash while running from police.
Nashville police say Katrina Russell, 37, sold a Dodge Dart to the teen, who was driving the morning of a deadly wreck on March 5. She handed over the keys in exchange for $80, the boy told police.
The teen was invoved in a hit-and-run, drove through a red light, swerved to avoid another vehicle, lost control of the car and hit a Dodge Challenger in the parking lot of an O’Reilly Auto Parts, according to police. Inside the Challenger was David Cheatham, 71, who had just made a purchase from the store.
Cheatham died at the scene, and the teen was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. He was charged with vehicular homicide by recklessness, among other offenses.
Initially, police weren’t sure who owned the car driven by the boy. It hadn’t been reported stolen, and officers were unable to contact the owner.
Investigators eventually tracked down Russell, who was living in a house that was being renovated. Russell did not have a home or legal address, according to police.
Officers investigated the home following “reports of people living there without permission.”
Russell answered the door to police and reportedly said she was helping paint the house with a friend.
She was charged with vehicular homicide by recklessness and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was jailed under a $6,000 bond, according to police.
