Katie Quackenbush
In case stretching back more than five years, a woman was sentenced to probation for shooting and injuring a homeless man. The defense for Katie Layne Quackenbush, 32, argued that she was in fear of Gerald Melton, 59, in a 2017 confrontation, and that she only tried to scare him off, according to The Tennessean. But prosecutors said witness testimony disproved that.
“The only thing unusual in this situation was her behavior and how the defendant reacted in this particular situation to the words that Mr. Melton was saying,” Davidson County Assistant District Attorney Amy Hunter reportedly said. “We heard from an eyewitness who was feet away from the defendant when this happened who said that she was not frightened by Mr. Melton. That she didn’t take his words seriously. That the only the person who was dangerous in this situation was the defendant.”
Quackenbush also had a history of troublesome behavior, such as threatening to hurt an infant with a brick, threatening her mother, and also pouring water on a water at a restaurant, authorities reportedly said.
She must spend 11 months and 29 years of probation.
Quackenbush, who now lives in Texas, will serve her time in the Lone Star State. She will reportedly have to make virtual reports and authorities will keep an eye on her criminal record.
Melton had to have at least three surgeries because of the shooting. Officers have said that he was attempting to sleep on a sidewalk, but there were exhaust fumes and loud music coming out of Quackenbush’s SUV. He asked her to move. This sparked an argument. Melton returned to this spot, but Quackenbush stepped out of her SUV and shot him twice before she fled.
[Screenshot via WKRN]