On a spring morning in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, the life of Kevin Brentt Hudson, a 46-year-old White man, was tragically cut short. On April 4, 2022, Hudson was shot and killed at his coffee shop, Dragging Canoe Coffee Traders, a business he had opened in 2018. Born in Chattanooga on February 15, 1976, he was a man of many interests, known for his passion for astronomy, building telescopes, and playing stringed instruments in a bluegrass band called the Homesteaders.
In addition to his coffee shop, Hudson also owned a CBD and hemp boutique called the Skunk House, which he opened in 2019.
The man arrested and charged with criminal homicide in connection with Hudson's death was his own business partner, Robert John Bateh. The shooting reportedly occurred after an argument between the two men at their shared place of business. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the South Pittsburg Police Department were involved in the investigation of the incident, which sent shockwaves through the local community, unaccustomed to such violent events.
The legal proceedings that followed saw Robert Bateh facing the consequences of his actions. In a trial that concluded in June 2025, Bateh was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and employing a firearm in the commission of a felony. His request for a mistrial was denied, and he was subsequently sentenced to the maximum of 12 years in prison for the death of his business partner. While in custody, Bateh faced new charges for having contraband in jail after he was found with a piece of concrete hidden in his sock. The community was left to mourn the loss of a man remembered for his kind heart and brilliant mind, while the justice system delivered a verdict in the tragic and untimely death of Kevin Brentt Hudson.
