After nearly three days of testimony, Joel Hammack was convicted of wanton murder for the death of 7-year-old Rose Morgan, multiple counts of assault, two counts of possession of marijuana, and being a persistent felony offender.

The jury deliberated for two hours before returning their verdict Wednesday night and recommending three life sentences.

Hammack’s charges stem from an automobile crash that occurred in Adair County on Dec. 21, 2024. In addition to being held accountable for taking the life of Rose Morgan, he was found guilty of assault 1st degree for injuries sustained by Reonna Morgan and Susan Morgan; and assault 4th degree for injuries sustained by West Morgan and Towyna Ritizie. Rose Morgan was on a family outing with her brother, cousin and her grandmothers when their trip ended in tragedy because of a drunk driver.

In the sentencing phase, the jury was presented with evidence showing prior felony convictions for Hammack in Kentucky, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. With this evidence, after just 30 minutes of deliberation, the jury also convicted Hammack of being a persistent felony offender. This charge enhances the sentence on the assault, 1st degree charges from 10-20 years to 20 years to life. Under Kentucky law, he will be eligible for parole in 20 years. However, there is no guarantee of parole.

DAY 3:

Testimony concluded Wednesday afternoon in Casey County Circuit Court, with jurors hearing contrasting closing arguments over whether Hammack’s actions rose to the level of wanton murder in the death of 7-year-old Rose Morgan.

In his closing argument, Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Wright urged the jury to find Hammack guilty of wanton murder. He said that Hammack showed an extreme indifference to human life when he made the decision to drive while intoxicated, and that decision took the life of an innocent 7-year-old little girl.

“Is my truck totaled?” was the question Hammack asked when being questioned by Kentucky State Police Detective Weston Sullivan the day after the collision, Wright told jurors. Wright said Hammack never asked about the other family or how the victims were doing.

Wright told the jury the Commonwealth had met its burden of proof. He said Hammack would be guilty of vehicular homicide “if he was just driving under the influence, but this is so much more than that.”

He said Hammack was not trying to help anyone except himself. He told jurors that Hammack wanted to get rid of the beer and get away from the scene, again, demonstrating an indifference to human life.

Defense attorney Samantha Costello asked jurors to set aside their emotions and focus on the evidence. She described the collision as a “tragedy of errors; mistakes made that can’t be unmade.”

Costello said the Commonwealth had not met its burden of proof for wanton murder. She said, “intoxication does not equal impairment.”

Earlier in the day, the Commonwealth called Dr. Gregory Davis, who is certified in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology and forensic pathology. Davis testified that he reviewed multiple sources, including the citation, kyibers report, collision report, body camera footage and lab reports in reference to this case.

Davis explained that blood alcohol content at an earlier time can be calculated through back extrapolation using an algebraic equation. Based on that process, he said that Hammack’s blood alcohol content at the time of the collision was .151, nearly twice the legal limit of .08.

Davis also said that alcohol combined with THC would result in decreased hand-eye coordination, decreased ability to multitask and decreased judgment. It was his opinion that Hammack was intoxicated at the time of the collision.

Kentucky State Police Detective Randy Honeycutt, an accident reconstructionist, testified about the reconstruction process and said he analyzed the data with Sullivan.

Sullivan presented photos and physical evidence from the scene, and said that every piece of available data was used to generate his 57-page reconstruction report. That data included event data recorders from both vehicles.

Sullivan said Hammack’s vehicle was traveling 73 mph just prior to the collision. Hammack did not apply his brakes in the seconds leading up to impact. The vehicle driven by Townya Ritzie, in which Rose Morgan was a passenger, was traveling in the same direction at 17 mph.

Sullivan described the collision as a “violent impact,” saying that Hammack’s vehicle went inside the Ritzie vehicle on the passenger-side rear, where Rose was seated. After the collision, the vehicles traveled together roughly the length of a football field, the Ritzie vehicle rolled onto its passenger side and came to rest upside down.

After Sullivan’s testimony, the Commonwealth rested its case. Costello moved for a directed verdict, arguing that wanton murder and 2nd degree assault had not been proven by the Commonwealth. The motion was overruled.

DEFENSE CALLS WITNESSES

The defense called two witnesses.

Jennifer Jones, a passerby who stopped to render aid, testified that the sun was in her eyes when she came upon the crash. She said she stood beside the Ritzie vehicle speaking with Reonna Ritzie while Walter Nichols crawled into the vehicle.

Jones testified that when emergency personnel arrived and she was walking back to her vehicle, Hammack was standing along the roadway. She said Hammack embraced her with such force that they nearly fell. She said she could smell alcohol on him.

The defense called Kenneth Agent, a civil engineer who analyzes traffic collisions. Agent testified that he researches traffic safety and collision causation. He said he reviewed Sullivan’s reconstruction and agreed it was thorough.

Agent testified that Ritzie had slowed to a lower-than-expected speed and that if another vehicle had been traveling closely in front of her, a secondary collision could have occurred. He agreed that Hammack was speeding and that he never applied his brakes.

FINAL CHAPTER

Family members of Rose Morgan shed tears as the verdict was read. After the trial ended, they thanked Wright for his work on the case. Hammack showed no emotion, except when the jury recommended the life sentence, at which time he lowered his head into his hands.

Circuit Judge Judy Vance Murphy will formaly sentence Hammack on March 24.

Story courtesy of the Adair County Community Voice.