x
Breaking News
More () »

Benjamin Brewer found guilty on all charges in deadly I-75 crash trial

Six people were killed on June 25, 2015, after a semi-truck slammed into eight cars backed up north of the Ooltewah exit.

UPDATE: A jury has found Benjamin Brewer guilty on all charges in connection to a deadly crash on I-75 that killed six people in 2015.

The jury found him guilty on six counts of vehicular homicide by intoxication. He was also found guilty on four counts of reckless aggravated assault, one count of DUI and one count of speeding.

PREVIOUS STORY: A jury from Nashville is now deliberating the fate of the man charged in the deaths of six people in a 2015 interstate crash near Chattanooga.

Benjamin Brewer is charged with 6 counts of vehicular homicide from the crash; there are 6 other charges related to injuries from the crash. If convicted, Brewer faces up to 72 years in prison.

Brewer failed to stop his semi as he approached traffic at the Ooltewah I-75 exit and slammed into several cars. Brewer later tested positive for meth.

Among those killed in the crash were 31-year-old Tiffany Watts of Morristown and her mother, 51-year-old Sandra Anderson of Rutledge.

A jury of 12 men and four women were chosen from Nashville and brought to Chattanooga to hear the case. They were sequestered, with no access to the internet or other media, for the duration of the trial.

Much of the testimony Tuesday centered around the drug tests performed hours after the crash.

Collegedale Police Chief Brian Hickman testified that Benjamin Brewer failed several tests and that his pulse and blood pressure were high, leading to the conclusion that he was high on a stimulant.

But the defense argues the science behind the testing isn’t reliable, calling it quote “junk science” because it’s only reliable 33% of the time.

This testimony is crucial in this case because the case centers around whether or not Brewer was high on meth at the time of the crash.

The defense says brewer fell asleep behind the wheel.

Prosecutors called their last witness Tuesday, resting their case after hearing from 15 people on the stand.

The witnesses ranged from people in the crash to various experts.

The defense called their first witness Wednesday morning, a truck driver from Ohio that testified he was behind Brewer at the time of the crash.

A hold up in witness testimony brought the trial to a halt on day 3.

The problem stems from a witness for the defense who was supposed to fly into Chattanooga Wednesday morning but their flight was canceled.

Jurors listened to 17 witnesses over three days of testimony.

Two hours into deliberations, an altercation outside the courthouse spilled into the front door where a fire alarm was pulled.

It's unclear if the situation had an impact on deliberations.

Reporter Michelle Heron from WRCB in Chattanooga is in the courtroom. You can follow her updates on Twitter.

Before You Leave, Check This Out