Driver who killed Boy Scout up for parole
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The woman who struck and killed a Boy Scout while driving under the influence of prescription medication is up for parole after serving three years of her 30-year sentence, resulting in public outcry.
Tina Louise Wilson was driving on Interstate 24 when she veered across two lanes of traffic on April 10, 2014, and hit 13-year-old Clifton Braunwalder, who was changing the tire on his mother’s car April 10, 2014. Wilson fled the scene, and Braunwalder later died at StoneCrest Medical Center in Smyrna. A witness followed Wilson to a pain clinic parking lot in Nashville, where she was arrested.
A blood sample showed that Wilson was under the influence of amphetamines, Xanax and marijuana metabolites, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report.
Wilson pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide by intoxication, reckless aggravated assault and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. In October 2015, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison —18 years for the first charge, eight years for the second and four years for the third.
A stretch of the roadway where the wreck happened is named in memory of Braunwalder.
Wilson’s parole hearing is scheduled for Nov. 16 before the state parole board. She could be released as early as Jan. 21 — her 38th birthday.
A Change.org petition created by “Concerned Citizens” was formed, asking the Tennessee Board of Parole to deny her parole request. As of Friday afternoon, the petition had over 3,000 signatures pledging support.
The petition says Wilson “has minimal chance to achieve long-term success if she is released without any credible evidence of significant rehabilitation or a reliable support system in the community.”
The Tennessee Department of Corrections didn’t immediately respond to comment on why Wilson was eligible for parole.