By Riley Overend on SwimSwam
A man was indicted on 12 counts related to last August’s vehicular homicide of Ben Kredich, the son of Tennessee director of swimming and diving Matt Kredich.
Shannon Walker, 44, was charged with vehicular homicide and a DUI after the tragic crash along Kingston Pike near Thimbleberry Road. Ben, 24, was walking to meet Matt for their weekly dinner at Sunspot when the crash occurred. The case was referred to a grand jury last September.
Now Walker is facing one count of vehicular homicide, one count of vehicular homicide driving under the influence, one count of DUI, five counts of reckless endangerment, two counts of possession with the intent to sell or deliver a controlled substance, one count of possession with the intent to sell, deliver or manufacture xylazine, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
One vehicular homicide charge places the blame on Walker while the other blames his alleged intoxication. According to the indictment, he is also accused of possessing less than 200 grams of the Schedule II controlled substance ANPP and more than half a gram of fentanyl.
A date has not been set yet for an arraignment hearing, where Walker will have the chance to enter his plea. His case was heard by the grand jury on April 17.
Ben was enrolled at the University of Tennessee in the FUTURE Program, which is designed for students with developmental disabilities, giving them the opportunity to continue their education after high school. However, the program didn’t provide its students with access to on-campus housing, which was something he and his mother, Kim, took issue with.
A bill was created, known as “Ben’s Bill” or SB 0516, and Ben and Kim took it to the State Senate.
The bill prohibits post-secondary programs with the Comprehensive Transition and Post-Secondary Program designation from the U.S. Department of Education and offer it to assist students with intellectual disabilities from approving or denying a student residential housing on the campus or in affiliation with the institution solely because the student’s receipt of a Tennessee STEP UP scholarship (what students in the FUTURE program have). Ben testified on the Senate floor in March of 2019 while he was in his second year of university, and the bill passed through the Senate by a vote of 26-4.
The route Ben was walking on, down the Kingston Pike, previously had a bus route that he would take to school. After the route was discontinued due to work shortage in 2022, Ben advocated with city officials for the route to continue, saying that he didn’t feel safe walking that stretch of Kingston Pike.
Tennessee honored Ben with special caps during an SEC showdown last November against Florida and Kentucky. The apparel was designed by his twin brother, Miles, who previously swam for the Savannah College of Art of Design (SCAD) and was a two-time NAIA national champ in the 200 fly.
James Sutherland contributed to this report.
SwimSwam: Man Indicted on 12 Counts Related to Crash That Killed Ben Kredich, Son of Tennessee Coach
You must be logged in to post a comment Login