Police briefs
By Guadalupe (Wally) Rendón
Diversity Institute Fellow
08.20.03
Two die in I-40 collision
Two people died early Monday morning in a head-on car accident on I-40 near Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage, police said.
Metro Police said Jose A. Martinez, 38, of Linbar Drive, was driving a 1994 Ford Escort in the wrong direction on I-40 around 2 a.m. when it collided with a 2000 Dodge Neon, being driven by Kristy Parrish, 39, of Central Valley Drive.
Parrish was dead on arrival at Summit Medical Center. Martinez died shortly after being transported to Vanderbilt University Hospital.
Law enforcement authorities reported that there was no visible evidence of alcohol involved in the accident. However, in accidents involving fatalities, blood samples are routinely drawn to check for alcohol or drug content.
Husband arrested in wife’s murder
Richard L. Williams charged in Nashville for the first-degree murder of his wife Cassandra Williams was arrested in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, police said.
Police said Cassandra Williams, 35, was found dead inside her car on June 9 in a remote area off Dickerson Pike near I-65. She had been dead for several days, according to police.
A Davidson County Grand Jury returned a sealed indictment on July 25 naming Richard Williams, 35, charging him with the strangulation death of his wife.
Richard Williams had eluded police since the investigation began.
Lisa Smiley, public information officer for the Louisville Metro Police Department said that Williams was caught by officers at about 3:45 p.m. on Saturday.
Louisville police received a tip letting them know where Williams could be found, Smiley said. They acted on the tip and after a brief foot chase apprehended Williams.
Metro Police have not established where the crime took place. But because the body was found in Nashville, the department’s Murder Squad headed the six week investigation that led to Williams’ indictment.
Williams waived extradition Monday and is expected to be bought back to Nashville sometime this week.