CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The trial began Tuesday for a man charged with vehicular homicide in the 2021 wreck on Tiny Town Road that killed a 21-year-old woman and injured her infant son.
Around 8:30 a.m. on May 5, 2021, two SUVs collided near Tiny Town Road and Peachers Mill Road. Kaitlyn Harris was killed in the crash, and her 9-month-old son sustained non-lifethreatening injuries.
Zachary Michael Schunn, now 35, was charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication and DUI. He has pleaded not guilty.
Opening statements: Intoxication vs. sleepwalking
Prosecutor Nathaniel Sherman told jurors, “The defendant was drunk. He hit Katelyn Harris and he killed her.” Sherman said the evidence will show eyewitnesses saw Schunn driving recklessly that morning, and that his blood alcohol content was above the legal limit, leading to Harris’ death and her child’s injuries.
Defense attorney Chris Clark argued Schunn was not conscious at the time of the crash and was sleepwalking due to a prescribed dose of Ambien. Clark said Schunn struggled with insomnia and mental health issues, sought treatment, and had been prescribed the medication just days before the wreck. “Mr. Schunn never woke up until after this accident,” he said.
Husband testifies: ‘She was loving, selfless’
Lucas Harris, 26, testified about his wife and their son, who was injured in the crash. He said Harris was on her way to a kid-friendly workout class with their baby that morning. “She was taking our son to this workout group called SLAM … Sweat Like a Mother … mothers bring their children, the kids hang out in the park, and the mothers get a workout in,” he said…