Driver pleads guilty to murder after a car crash in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Special Agents with the Investigative Services Branch helped bring about the conviction of a man charged with second-degree murder in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Corey Bruce Patrick pleaded guilty in April to the charges stemming from a car crash in October of 2014. Sentencing is expected to take place in late August.
Responders found that Patrick had driven the car head-on into a tree. The passenger was the car's owner, and she had sent a text message a minute before the crash saying "he's driving fast and crazy." The passenger suffered multiple blunt-force trauma injuries and died on scene. Patrick told rescuers that he'd been drinking alcohol before the high-speed crash.
The ISB Special Agents gathered evidence and presented a strong case to the US Attorney, resulting in a murder charge rather than the initial charge of driving under the influence. During sentencing, the federal judge will rule on prison time and possible fines and restitution.
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Tags: isb investigative services branch special agent
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
