What's the crime when woman died in car crash after she was shot? It's complicated.
The chain of events was tragic. Destiny Jones was hit by gunfire at a Downtown West bar, Then, as friends tried to rush her to the hospital, the driver crashed the car. Jones was thrown from the vehicle and died of the injuries she suffered in the crash.
So what consequences await Jaheim Houston, the man who police say fired the shots?
The incident creates an unusual legal conundrum: Should Houston be charged with attempted murder or murder?
Can Houston be prosecuted for murder?
You could argue that the only reason Destiny Jones died in the crash is because she was being rushed to the hospital after she was shot.
But that argument would fail in the courtroom because the medical examiner ruled the cause of death was blunt force trauma, not the nonfatal gunshot wound, says one veteran criminal defense attorney.
"You have to prove the homicide beyond a reasonable doubt," Gregory Isaacs told Knox News. "The medical examiner's findings would be the centerpiece."
Theoretically, Isaacs said, if a shooting victim died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, that would relate to the shooting and the defendant could be charged with murder.
"But when you have a superseding, intervening act such as a car wreck, you don’t have that clarity as to the cause of death," he said. "If there is no science or forensics to support (a charge of) homicide, you go with what you can prove."
What charge is the suspected shooter facing?
Houston, 22, of Knoxville, has been charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, stemming from the May 15, 2023 shooting in the parking lot of Bebo’s Cafe.
Houston also has been charged with felony drug possession after marijuana and money were found in a Watauga Avenue home Aug. 16 when he was taken into custody on the attempted murder warrant, court records state.
A $200,000 bond has been set for the attempted murder charge.
KPD seeks help: Police ask for tips to find man they say fired shots at officers on patrol
What happened at Bebo's Cafe led to Jones' death, police say
Knoxville police officers responded to the parking lot of Bebo’s Café on Gleason Drive at around 3 a.m. May 15, a police department spokesperson said in a press release. Shell casings were found in the parking lot, but no gunshot victims were there.
A short time later, officers found a car that had driven away from the shooting had crashed on the Kingston Pike ramp to southbound Alcoa Highway. Jones, who was a passenger, was thrown from the car and pronounced dead after she was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, the release said.
Medical Examiner’s Office personnel determined that Jones, 24, of Anderson County, was shot one time in the lower body. However, Jones actually died from blunt force trauma suffered in the crash.
Bebo's Cafe closed for good by District Attorney's office
The hookah bar in Knoxville's Downtown West neighborhood now is permanently shut down under a Tennessee nuisance law after multiple shootings and other violent incidents at the club.
On Aug. 3, Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword signed an order of permanent injunction that bars owner Beshoy Saman from operating the business at the Gleason Drive address. Saman also must surrender Bebo's Cafe's beer and liquor permits.
Ruei Mei, listed in the order as the owner of the property, must run criminal background checks at no cost on all potential tenants before signing a lease agreement, an order that is in effect for the next two years.
Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter. Email lkellar@knoxnews.com.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Man won't face murder charge in Bebo's Cafe parking lot shooting
