Nashville woman, teen face vehicular homicide charges

Police say she sold car to boy, 13, in fatal wreck

A woman is facing a vehicular homicide charge after police say she sold a car to a 13-year-old boy who was later involved in two wrecks this month — one of which left a man dead.

Katrina Lyn Russell, 37, was arrested Wednesday night in Davidson County and charged with vehicular homicide due to reckless conduct and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, records show. The teen was also arrested and charged in juvenile court with vehicular homicide by recklessness, driving without a license and no proof of insurance, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Police believe the teen, who has not been identified because he is a juvenile, met with Russell and gave her $80 for the keys to a Dodge Dart registered in her name. Police said Russell was aware of the boy’s age.

Russell, who does not have a residence, was arrested after she came to the door of a Helmwood Drive home that is under renovation, police said. Officers said they received reports of people living in the home without permission and that Russell told them she was helping a friend paint the house.

It was not immediately clear when the boy got the keys to the car.

A witness said the car was involved in a hit-and-run at the intersection of Danby Drive and Blackman Road and fled the crash the morning of March 5, police said. The other driver in the hit-and-run tried to pursue the teen but stopped because of excessive speeds, police said. An arrest affidavit for Russell revealed the boy was driving between 90 and 100 mph.

The boy was traveling north along Nolensville Pike around 9 a.m. when he ran a red light at Haywood Lane, swerved to miss another vehicle and lost control of the Dart, police reported. The Dart collided with a Dodge Challenger driven by David Cheatham, 71.

Officers investigating the scene of a fatal shooting across the street saw the wreck happen and called for help, the affidavit said. Police said Cheatham had just left O’Reilly Auto Parts and was about to exit the parking lot. He died at the scene.

The affidavit said video surveillance from a business across the street showed the Dart enter the frame at “a much higher speed” than the traffic around it, sliding sideways as it entered the frame. It was not clear how fast the Dart was traveling when it struck Cheatham’s car. The teen was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for severe leg injuries and later discharged.

Russell was being held on $6,000 bond in Davidson County and was to appear before a judge Friday morning, records show.