Curtis Harper, 22, of Franklin, in court. 6/18/12
Curtis Harper, 22, of Franklin in court across from Soto family. 6/18/12
The man charged in the hit-and-run deaths of a Good Samaritan, pregnant woman and her unborn child may not face a trial until next year.
Curtis Harper, 22, of Franklin, is charged in the deaths of 45-year-old Nelson Soto Sr., 24-year-old Chasity Thornell, and Thornell's unborn daughter.
On Monday, the recent University of Tennessee graduate made his first appearance in court to face the charges spelled out in his 11-count indictment. It also was the first time he has faced the victims' families.
"Seeing the person who killed my daughter for the first time, it's just very uncomfortable to do that, it's hard," said Chasity Thornell's mother, Stephanie, who shed tears in the courtroom.
Several members of Nelson Soto's family also wept openly as they sat in the courtroom just feet from Harper.
"All they ask for is justice," said Soto's mother, Maria Fransica Serrano, via a translator. "Because it's not just a small thing, what the guy did. They just want justice. My uncle left his children. He loved his children, his parents who are very sick. He was everything to them, and they want justice regardless. Maybe they say that they have money, but they want justice."
Soto's parents are in town from California, and family members say they are not only devastated to lose their son but also are hurting because Soto's father, Cesar Soto, has been ill, and the two had relied on the support of their late son.
But the Sotos were quick to thank the community for the outpouring of support since last month's crash.
"Thank you everybody who support the Soto family," said Soto's wife, Eliva Hercules. "I know everybody pray for us, and thank you, thank you very much."
In court, Harper's attorney, William Timothy Hill, waived the official reading of the indictment and entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client.
Harper is facing three counts of vehicular homicide with intoxication, three counts of vehicular homicide due to reckless conduct, one count of tampering with evidence, one count of reckless endangerment, one count of leaving the scene of an accident, one count of driving under the influence, and one count of driving under the influence - second offense.
Harper is accused of striking and killing Soto and Thornell on Washington Pike in the early hours of May 30.
Police say Soto was helping Thornell and a friend fill up a car after it had run out of gas.
Thornell was giving Soto a thank-you hug when they were struck and killed.
Just hours later, police had recovered Harper's silver Ford Explorer and zeroed in on him as the suspect.
However, they did not arrest him nor did they reveal his identity as they continued their forensic investigation.
Finally, on June 7, more than a week after the crash, a grand jury met and returned an 11-count indictment against Harper.
Hours later, Harper turned himself in to authorities and spent one night in jail before he posted a $300,000 bond.
He remained free until Monday's court appearance when Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz tentatively set a trial date of April 8, 2013, with a scheduled July 13 hearing planned to finalize details.
After the hearing, Harper complied with a search warrant seeking a hair sample and DNA swab that will be compared with the evidence collected from the SUV police believe was involved in the crash.
The affidavit in support of that search warrant revealed new information from the only surviving witness that night.
Thornell's friend, Sarah Tinder, is quoted as saying, "I looked up and I just never seen any car go so fast. I screamed and I said, 'jump,' and I jumped backwards into my car. And they didn't. I don't know if they didn't hear me or didn't jump or...but he hit them so hard."
Meanwhile, investigators are examining Harper's cell phone and text logs after executing another search warrant.
The affidavit in support of that warrant revealed more information about what may have happened that night from Harper's roommate, Allen Nida.
Nida saw the suspect at their apartment just after the crash and told authorities Harper admitted to "having a few drinks" and being involved in a hit-and-run.
"Nida observed Harper talking on his cellular phone and overheard parts of the conversation, including Harper stating, 'I can't. I'm not sober,'" according to the affidavit.
Along with the criminal case, the Soto and Thornell families have been working with attorneys on wrongful death suits. The Thornells have hired Gary Dawson, while the Soto family has retained Greg Isaacs.
Stephanie Thornell says she has taken comfort from the Soto family as both families work through a shared and devastating situation.
"There's somebody that's going through the same thing we're going through, lost somebody that they love, tragically, and the person that hit and killed our loved ones, he's out, he's able to do whatever he wants to do, and it looks like it will be that way at least until sometime next year," she said.
Chasity Thornell is survived by her daughter, Ava Sophia, who is set to turn 2 years old in August. A memorial fund has been set up in her name at TVA Credit Union.
Nelson Soto Sr. is survived by his wife, Elvia, four children and a stepson. A memorial fund has been set up in his name at SunTrust Bank.
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The man accused of striking and killing a Good Samaritan and a pregnant woman entered a plea of not guilty Monday morning.
Before the plea was entered, Curtis Harper, 22, of Franklin waived the formal reading of the indictment.
Harper's lawyer, Jim Price, was not present due to a family emergency.
The next court date is set for July 13 to possibly confirm a suggested April 8, 2013, trial date.
After the hearing, Harper submitted a DNA sample to comply with a search warrant.
Stay with 10News for more on this developing story.
Previous story
The families of a Good Samaritan and pregnant woman killed in a hit-and-run are set to face the suspect in court for the first time.
Curtis Harper, 22, of Franklin, is charged in the deaths of 45-year-old Nelson Soto Sr., 24-year-old Chasity Thornell, and Thornell's unborn daughter.
The recent University of Tennessee graduate is charged with three counts of vehicular homicide with intoxication, three counts of vehicular homicide due to reckless conduct, one count of tampering with evidence, one count of reckless endangerment, one count of leaving the scene of an accident, one count of driving under the influence, and one count of driving under the influence - second offense.
He's set to make his first appearance in court Monday morning.
Harper is accused of striking and killing Soto and Thornell on Washington Pike in the early hours of May 30.
Police say Soto was helping Thornell and a friend fill up a car after it had run out of gas.
Thornell was giving Soto a thank-you hug when they were struck and killed.
Just hours later, police had recovered Harper's silver Ford Explorer and zeroed in on him as the suspect.
However, they did not arrest him nor did they reveal his identity as they continued their forensic investigation.
Finally, on June 7, more than a week after the crash, a grand jury met and returned an 11-count indictment against Harper.
Hours later, Harper turned himself in to authorities and was held on a $300,000 bond until the next day when he posted bond.
Now, more than a week later, Harper is set to face a judge for the first time.
His Nashville-based attorney, James Price, has said his client plans to plead not guilty.
Meanwhile, the Soto and Thornell families have been working with attorneys on wrongful death suits. The Thornells have hired Gary Dawson, while the Soto family has retained Greg Isaacs.
Chasity Thornell is survived by her daughter, Ava Sophia, who is set to turn 2 years old in August. A memorial fund has been set up in her name at TVA Credit Union.
Nelson Soto Sr. is survived by his wife, Elvia, four children and a stepson. A memorial fund has been set up in his name at SunTrust Bank.
Check back wbir.com throughout the day for updates on this developing story.