Driving a Ford Explorer on Washington Pike, Harper struck and killed the two people. The crash was so violent Thornell s fetus was ejected from her body, evidence showed.
Harper continued on to the nearby apartment complex where he lived. Knoxville police eventually tracked down his Explorer, and Harper was charged.
He was convicted of three counts of vehicular homicide by intoxication, among other charges.
Crews on scene of a double fatal hit-and-run on Washington Pike. 5/30/12
But the defense appealed, arguing Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz had improperly let in crime scene and autopsy photos that were too gory. The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals agreed in 2015, sending the case back for a retrial.