LISA MARCHESONI, Post Senior Writer
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 1:01 pm

Former Rutherford County Detective Sgt. Ron Killings listens to testimony during trial for a reckless homicide charge related to the death of Lakeisha White, 11. TMP/M. Willard

If a sheriff’s detective had driven the speed limit, an 11-year-old girl would have avoided a crash with his patrol car, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper testified Wednesday.

Pedestrian Lakeisha White, 11, of Hopkinsville, Ky., died July 19, 2008 after she was struck by a patrol cruiser driven by former sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Ron Killings July 18, 2008 on Bradyville Pike. Lakeisha was visiting relatives during the summer when the crash occurred.

Trooper Allan Brenneis testified for the state in Killings’ trial for reckless homicide. Circuit Court Judge David Bragg is presiding over the trial with jurors selected from Hamilton County because of pretrial publicity.

Killings pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday when the trial began.

The state rested its case Wednesday afternoon. The defense is expected to call witnesses when the trial resumes at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Brenneis, who investigates traffic fatalities for the THP’s Critical Incident Response Team, testified his investigation showed Killings drove 70 mph in a 30 mph speed zone within 20 seconds of the crash. He drove 62 mph when his air bag deployed.

The trooper calculated an 11-year-old’s speed crossing Bradyville Pike with a car approaching at 30 mph.

“At 30 mph, everything changes,” Brenneis said, later adding, “At 30 mph, it doesn’t happen.”

Killings listened without any reaction.

Sgt. Michael McAlister testified he downloaded the airbag module crash data removal system from Killings’ car last October. The information is locked after a crash. He gave the information to Brenneis.

Brenneis said he retracted the steps with her cousins who were with her when the crash occurred and reviewed Lakeisha’s injuries with state medical examiner Dr. Bruce Levy who performed the autopsy on her.

He compared the contact points on Killings’ car, concluding she was struck on the right hand side on her hips, then spun around and traveled up on the windshield.

Prosecutor Joe Baugh asked if he could calculate the speed when Lakeisha was struck.

“No sir,” Brenneis replied.

Since witnesses reported Lakeisha was running, Brenneis took the running speed of an 11-year-old and compared the speed of Killings, determining he was 183 back at 65 mph and could have seen her.

“He doesn’t hit the brakes,” Brenneis said, explaining she came from the driver’s side. In his statement, Killings said the first time he saw Lakeisha was when she hit the windshield.

Defense attorney Terry Fann asked Brenneis if Lakeisha ran into Killings lane?

“Yes,” Brenneis replied.

Did Killings lose control of his vehicle, Fann asked.

“I saw nothing to indicate he lost control of his vehicle,” Brenneis answered, adding he came to a controlled stop.

Brenneis listed speed and Lakeisha running into Killings’ path as the contributing factors to the crash.

In earlier testimony, former La Vergne Police Detective Cpl. Jerri Lynn Champion testified she was talking on the telephone with Killings at 8:37 p.m. Earlier witnesses said the crash happened about 8:45 p.m.

Champion said she couldn’t remember what they were talking about but she heard Killings say, “oh f---“ and the call ended.

Baugh asked Brenneis if Killings talking on the cell phone affected his response time.

“It’s what we call divided attention,” Brenneis said. “I would consider that a contributing factor.”

Fann asked if the trooper included the cell phone as a factor in his crash report.

“I should have added that,” Brenneis said.

In the morning’s testimony, witness Rayneshia Coleman, 10, testified she saw her cousin Lakeisha “up in the air” after she was struck by the patrol car.

Another cousin, Rayvon Watkins, 10, didn’t see the crash either.

“I heard like a boom sound,” Rayvon said.

Baugh asked witness Cheryl Bigsby to tell jurors about what she saw the night of the crash.

Bigsby testified she was on her porch about dusk. Like the children, she didn’t see the crash but heard the impact.

“It was like he smashed on his brakes and a clinking noise,” Bigsby said.

Bigsby ran over to Lakeisha and the other children and found Lakeisha lying near the mailbox with her legs around the mailbox.

“Once she got hit, it was like floating up in the air,” Bigsby said. “It was like a rainbow.”

Killings was talking on the phone when he got out of his car and asked, “Is she OK?”

He didn’t ask her name, walked over to her and then pulled coveralls from the trunk and threw it over her. He did not begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“When I looked down at her, it was like her eyes were dangling around,” Bigsby said.

Normally, Lakeisha wore glasses but didn’t wear the glasses that night.

Defense attorney Terry Fann asked Bigsby if she remembered telling a private investigator Killings didn’t throw on his brakes.

“No,” Bigsby replied.

Bigsby said she told Murfreesboro Police Officer Ray Daniel Killings stayed with Lakeisha till the ambulance arrived.

She never saw the patrol car swerve. She told Daniel she saw Killings stop immediately.

Baugh asked about Killings’ response to Lakeisha at first.

It appeared Killings was trying to leave the scene because he pulled up, then backed up, she said.

Since Dr. Levy could not testify Wednesday, jurors read copies of the autopsy report and the state rested its case.

Defense attorney Ben Parsley asked Bragg to acquit Killings because the state failed to prove its case.

Baugh said he provided sufficient evidence.

Bragg denied the motion, which will allow the jury to deliberate and give a verdict.