Diontre Tigner: Georgia man gets life sentence for 2016 car crash that killed woman, 2 grandchildren on way to church
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA: A 24-year-old man is set to spend the rest of his life behind bars for a tragic incident where he killed a woman and her two young grandchildren on their way to church.
On the morning of January 31, 2016, a 16-year-old named Diontre Tigner was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident that resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including the grandmother.
Law&Crime reports that the victims had been identified as 75-year-old Dorothy Wright, her 12-year-old grandson Cameron Costner, and 6-year-old granddaughter Layla Partridge.
What happened at the court hearing?
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly M. Esmond Adams on Monday, January 22, sentenced Diontre Tigner to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus an additional six years, for the 2016 deaths of a grandmother and her grandchildren.
On Friday, January 19, the Fulton County Jury found Tigner guilty on all 15 counts he faced in connection to the three tragic deaths, including felony murder and leaving the scene of an accident.
During Monday's sentencing hearing, Judge Adams mentioned that during the six years Tigner spent evading authorities, he continued to commit numerous crimes, such as carjackings.
She acknowledged that while the jury did not hear evidence of such criminal activity unrelated to the fatal crash, she considered these facts when issuing Tigner's final sentence.
The judge claimed, “I can’t unknow what I now know. You engaged in this action when you were 16, but years later you were still stealing cars."
What happened at the crime scene?
At the age of 16, Tigner stole a Chevrolet Suburban from a Westin hotel, sparking a 10-minute high-speed chase with the police. The pursuit saw speed of nearly 100 miles per hour through residential neighborhoods.
The chase came to an end when Tigner ran a stop sign, resulting in a collision directly with Dorothy Wright's car.
The force of the impact caused Wright's Buick LeSabre to flip over, ejecting young Layla a substantial distance from the vehicle.
Authorities reportedly remained unaware of the girl's presence in the car for several hours until her body was discovered several feet from the crash, hidden within shrubbery.
What did the victims' family say?
After Tigner's sentencing hearing, Layla Partridge's father expressed his belief that Tigner should have received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
He stated, “Everybody is looking for an excuse for this young man; meanwhile we got kids we left in the cemetery; they didn’t ask for that."
On the other hand, Joi Partridge, victim Dorothy Wright's daughter and the mother of the two deceased children, said that she was relieved that the accused received a life sentence in prison.
