Jury finds driver guilty in fatal Tennessee DUI crash

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A Haywood County, Tennessee, jury convicted a man on Tuesday of vehicular homicide while driving recklessly under the influence of drugs and alcohol nearly four years ago, announced by the D.A. General's Office of Frederick H. Agee. Brandon Sensabaugh, 37, was found guilty of killing Matthew Blake Bond, 23. He was also found guilty of DUI, driving while his license was revoked, and reckless driving. Sensabaugh is facing up to 30 years in prison. On January 6, 2022, the attorney's office said Bond was driving on Highway 179 and Stanton-Koko Road to purchase food to take with him to work when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Sensabaugh. According to court documents, Sensabaugh was driving 106 miles per hour on an icy road under the influence of cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol. He drove into Bond's lane of travel, which violently impacted his vehicle, causing him to be trapped until first responders arrived to rescue him, the D.A.'s office reported. Prosecutors said Bond was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities mentioned that though Sensabaugh's passenger was ejected from the vehicle, he told them that the passenger was driving. After a technical analysis conducted by THP's Critical Incident Response Team, they said the results confirmed that Sensabaugh was the driver of the vehicle. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 29. When he is sentenced, he will serve it consecutively to his pending violation of probation revocation out of the Tipton County Circuit Court for a 10-year sentence for attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. “Our hearts go out to the family of Matthew Bond, who was a beloved son, friend, and hard-working member of the Haywood County Community. We thank the Jury for holding the defendant accountable for taking this young man’s life. I also thank our trial team, especially the members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Critical Incident Response Team, for their hard work on a very technical case that required months of dedicated investigation and analysis. This was a senseless homicide that took a life with immense future promise. We will petition the Court to sentence Sensabaugh to the maximum penalty under the law, given the defendant’s prior record,” said Agee.