Woman pleads guilty to misdemeanor in death of Birmingham father fatally struck while riding scooter
A 24-year-old woman has pleaded guilty in last year’s death of a 38-year-old husband and father who was fatally struck while riding a scooter on Birmingham’s Five Mile Road.
Erica Nicole Williams, 24, was initially charged with reckless manslaughter. She pleaded guilty this week to a reduced charge of criminally negligent homicide, which is a Class A misdemeanor.
Randall Quentin “Que” Johnson was killed Feb. 18, 2022, not far from his home.
Under the plea agreement, Williams was sentenced to 12 months with six months to serve in the Jefferson County Jail. Her jail sentenced will be followed by two years on probation.
Williams was booked into the county jail this week to begin her sentence.
The deadly crash happened at 10:22 a.m. that Friday in the 900 block of Five Mile Road and was captured on a motorist’s dash cam.
Johnson was pronounced dead on the scene at 10:26 a.m.
Birmingham police traffic fatality investigator Cpl. Janard Feggins previously testified that three witnesses reported Williams, who was driving a white Chevrolet Sparks, was driving an estimated 90 miles per hour in a 30-mph zone when she passed them on Five Mile Road.
One of those witnesses, Feggins said, had a dash cam in her vehicle which recorded the fatal crash.
That video – just over two minutes long – was played in court during a preliminary hearing last year and showed Williams passing multiple vehicles before hitting Johnson, whose body was seen being propelled into the air upon impact.
When police arrived, Feggins said, they found Johnson’s body in the front yard of someone’s home. Williams had stopped, and there was a hole in her windshield.
There were no skid marks at the scene, which Feggins said indicated Williams had not applied her brakes prior to hitting Johnson.
An autopsy report said Johnson died from multiple blunt force injuries and listed the manner of death as an accident.
The officer said Williams told him she was on her way to a funeral in Inglenook and did not see the victim prior to hitting him.
Williams was represented by Emory Anthony.
Johnson left behind his wife, Siobhan Johnson, and a 12-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter.
“His most important job, he would say, was being a father,’’ Siobhan told AL.com in an earlier interview. “He always had a smile and a good word. He was always willing to help.”
“He was a great guy, hardworking, caring and helping,’’ Siobahn said. “He was just one of those people that was special. He was loved by everyone.”