A father got emotional in a Fulton County court Tuesday, recalling how he found out his daughter had been killed by a driver being chased by police.
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Prosecutors in the trial of Ryan Hicks told the jury he was going 97 miles per hour one second before the crash at the intersection of Campbellton and Barge that killed Tamara Taylor.
Video of the crash was shown to jurors. Hicks faces 12 charges, including felony murder, first-degree homicide by vehicle and fleeing or attempting to elude.
Channel 2′s Tom Jones reported the victim, a mother of three, was going to get dinner for her family. Her father, Charles Atkins Sr., pulled up right after the crash but had no idea it was his daughter.
He testified he passed by the horrific accident on his way home April 5, 2024. When he got there, he learned it was his daughter.
“The phone rang and said that Tam was dead,” Atkins said.
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Sgt. David Holleman testified he tried to pull over Hicks for a broken taillight two days before in the same area. Holleman says he spotted Hicks on the night of the crash, and he sped off again.
Georgia State Patrol took over the chase and was behind Hicks when they say he ran a red light and crashed into Taylor.
Hicks’ attorney questioned why so much effort went into chasing someone for a broken tail light. And she said there’s no evidence hicks tried to kill anyone.
“This is not felony murder. This is a homicide by vehicle,” said Marilyn Primovic, public defender.
All Atkins knows is his daughter is gone, taken away on his wife’s birthday.
The father said Taylor was planning something special.
“She was going to surprise my wife,” he said.
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