In February 2013, the life of 19-year-old Marcia Crider, a pregnant woman from Knoxville, Tennessee, was tragically cut short. Following an argument with an acquaintance, Brandon Scott Donaldson, Crider was fatally shot as she and her mother, Pebbles Crider, were attempting to leave a residence on Porter Avenue. The single gunshot wound also resulted in the death of her unborn child, who was at 13 to 15 weeks gestation.
Knoxville police discovered Crider in a car in the parking lot of a thrift store on Holston Drive.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to Donaldson as the primary suspect, with police believing the incident to be domestic in nature. Testimony later revealed that Crider and Donaldson were in a relationship and had been arguing on the day of the shooting. As Crider and her mother tried to drive away, Donaldson opened fire on their vehicle, striking Crider. A manhunt for Donaldson ensued, and he was eventually apprehended in Illinois.
Brandon Scott Donaldson was charged with the murders of Marcia Crider and her unborn child. His legal journey was complex, involving two separate trials. In 2015, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, and he was subsequently sentenced to 68 years in prison. However, this conviction was later overturned by an appeals court due to the exclusion of certain witness testimony.
A second trial took place in 2018, where a jury once again found Donaldson guilty of second-degree murder for the deaths of Crider and her fetus. This case was notable as Donaldson was the first person in Knox County to be convicted under a law that allows for the prosecution for the murder of a fetus, regardless of its viability. Following the retrial, Donaldson was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Prosecutors had argued for a lengthy sentence, highlighting the violent nature of the crime where Donaldson fired eleven rounds at the car carrying Crider and her mother. The motive for the shooting was reported to stem from a day-long argument over money.
