Police say a 37-year-old woman played a role in a series of events that led to a teenager allegedly causing a fatal car crash in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this month.
Officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said they arrested a 13-year-old in connection with the accident, which occurred around 9 a.m. local time on March 5. The victim was identified as 71-year-old David Cheatham, whom police said was leaving an O'Reilly Auto Parts parking lot along the 4600 block of Nolensville Pike south of downtown Nashville when his Dodge Challenger was struck by another vehicle.
Cheatham was pronounced dead at the site of the crash, officials said.
Police said a 13-year-old, who has not been publicly identified, was driving a Dodge Dart in the area before the crash. Police said the teen was speeding away from another hit-and-run when he ran a red light, swerved the Dodge Dart and slammed into Cheatham's vehicle. The teen suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for treatment, police said.
At the time of the crash, police said, they were investigating how the teen got access to the Dodge Dart. Two days after the incident, the MNPD said the teen was released from the children's hospital and charged in Juvenile Court. The teenager faces charges of vehicular homicide by recklessness and driving without both proof of insurance and a license.
On March 25, police said another individual was charged with vehicular homicide by recklessness in connection with Cheatham's death. The second individual was identified as Katrina Russell, 37, whom police accused of selling the Dodge Dart to the teenager before the crash.
Russell has also been charged with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor," police said in a news release.
"The charges stem from Russell's admission that there was an exchange of money between her and the teen for the keys to her car, the Dodge Dart involved in the fatal crash," the MNPD said in the release. The teenager accused of causing the crash told police he paid $80 for the vehicle, according to the MNPD, which also said Russell knew his age.
MNPD officials said they found Russell, who officials said does not have a permanent residence, at a home in the process of being renovated. At the time, officers were responding to reports that individuals were illegally residing in the building, the MNPD said.
Russell is behind bars, with bail set at $6,000, authorities said.
Newsweek reached out to the MNPD for comment and will update this story with any response.
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