The man severely beaten by angry bar patrons after the vehicle he was driving fatally struck an Atmore woman last Saturday night once spent five years in prison for beating a man to death.

Kenneth Elbert Harrison, 45, was behind the wheel of a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe on Highway 31 in Atmore late Saturday night when he struck and killed 24-year-old Hannah Martin as she crossed the highway toward The Tavern sports bar.

The impact knocked Martin into the parking lot of the bar and Harrison pulled his vehicle in behind. Martin would be transported to a hospital, where she died of her injuries.

An unknown number of patrons, meanwhile, attacked Harrison, beating him so severely he had to be airlifted to a trauma center, where he was listed in serious condition as of Wednesday, according to Atmore police.

Court and jail records show Harrison has a criminal history that includes a guilty plea in Baldwin County Circuit Court to a reduced charge of manslaughter after he was accused of the murder of a 54-year-old Elberta man.

In 2011, six years after Sanford “Sandy” Lee Ledbetter disappeared from the Magnolia Springs area and a year after his remains were positively identified, Harrison admitted to beating Ledbetter to death.

Harrison was sentenced to 15 years in state prison, with one year credit for time served awaiting trial. That sentence was to run concurrent to a 10-year sentence previously imposed for a theft conviction.

But Harrison was released in February 2016 after serving the minimum of five years. Had he served his full sentence, he would have remained in prison until October 2025, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Harrison’s criminal history is littered with numerous other charges and jail time dating back to 2000. Among the listed charges are multiple charges for DUI, reckless driving, eluding police and driving with a suspended license. He’s also been jailed for burglary, receiving stolen property, theft and probation violations.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the incident which claimed Martin’s life, while Atmore police are investigating the assault on Harrison. Information as to whether a toxicology test was performed on Harrison after his arrival at the trauma center was not immediately available Wednesday.

Atmore Sgt. Darrell McCann said Wednesday investigators have reviewed surveillance footage of the incident and are seeking additional witnesses in the hopes of identifying those who attacked Harrison.