A trial date was set in Christian Circuit Court Wednesday for manslaughter suspect Jaden Johnson.
Johnson is represented by public defender Eric Bearden, who informed Judge John Atkins they he’s having to find a new accident reconstruction expert, but he thinks that should happen pretty quickly.
Both the defense and the Commonwealth said they were ready to look at setting a trial date, which they did so—trial will start on May 22, with another pretrial conference set for May 7.
Johnson is charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with a two-vehicle crash on Bill Bryan Boulevard in December of 2023 that resulted in the death of 34-year-old Adrian Tucker of Hopkinsville.
Investigation determined that the vehicle Tucker was operating had been pulling out of a parking lot onto Bill Bryan Boulevard when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Johnson.
The Hopkinsville Police Department reported to Johnson had been operating the vehicle at speeds of around 90 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour speed zone. Tucker had to be extricated from his vehicle and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Three individuals in the other vehicle were also injured, with one male victim flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with severe injuries. The other two were taken to Jennie Stuart Medical Center for treatment.