Crash Victims' Families Petition For Criminal Charges

Monday, October 14, 2013 at 7:28 AM

By Mike Perleberg

Brandon Wilson and Deja Morris were both killed in a June 13 crash on Interstate 24 in Tennessee. Friends and family are pressuring prosecutors in Rutherford County, Tennessee to file criminal charges against the truck driver responsible for the deadly crash.

file photo

The vehicle Morris and Wilson were in was consumed by fire in the crash on I-24.

WSMV-TV Nashville

(Rutherford County, Tenn.) – A local couple died in a pileup crash in Tennessee in June. Now, the friends and family of Deja Morris of West Harrison and Brandon Wilson of Lawrenceburg want the man who caused their death held responsible.

"We are trying to get justice," said Bobby Smith, the sister of Brandon Wilson.

Wilson, 28, and Morris, 25, were stuck in traffic on Interstate 24 near Murfreesboro, Tennessee as they were on their way to the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 13. That’s when a semi driven by Stacy Colvin, 40, Campbellsville, Kentucky, plowed into several stopped vehicles.

The vehicle Morris and Wilson were in caught fire. They died at the scene.

Colvin was cited for Failure to Exercise Due Care by Tennessee Highway Patrol at the time of the crash. Relatives of the victims were told by the Rutherford County District Attorney two weeks ago that criminal charges would not be filed because tests to determine if he was driving while intoxicated at the time of the crash came back negative.

Smith said she along with nine other family members and friends of Brandon and Deja are holding a rally in front of the Rutherford County Courthouse in Tennessee on Monday to demand the District Attorney change his decision not to charge the trucker.

"He (Stacy Colvin) should be charged with vehicular manslaughter," Smith said. "He wrecked into eight vehicles and a semi. He didn't even hit the brakes."

The group is hoping to have a meeting with the District Attorney before returning back to the tri-state Monday evening. An attempt to meet this morning was unsuccessful.

Smith said about 600 signatures have been gathered online and on paper. An online petition can be viewed at Change.org.

"We've had four television stations here. People back home should see this on the 11 o'clock news," said Smith.

Four other people from Dearborn County were injured in the June 13 crash, but they all survived. They were Matthew Clements, 27, of Lawrenceburg; Amber Everman, 26, of Hebron; Lucas Ackney, 21, of Cincinnati; and Amber Hoeffer, 26, of Cincinnati.

Several others were involved in the accident but not injured including Jodi Moore, 24, of West Harrison; Matt Schemer, 31, of Lawrenceburg; Cassie Ingram, 26, of Lawrenceburg; Stephanie Braun, 24, of Harrison; and Erik Sandlin, 27, of Lawrenceburg.

Smith said Colvin has a prior conviction for Reckless Driving in Alabama. Eagle 99.3 could not immediately locate a record of that reported conviction.

Updates on the situation are being shared on the “Remembering Brandon Wilson and Deja Morris” Facebook page.