Q: Whatever happened with the Louise Egan Brunstad case? I saw she was indicted, but did she ever have to face trial?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[The following was published Dec. 28, 2009, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.]

Q: Whatever happened with the Louise Egan Brunstad case? I saw she was indicted, but did she ever have to face trial?

— Joe Morr, Auburn, Ala.

A: Brunstad’s case has not been scheduled for trial, according to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. A Fulton County grand jury indicted Brunstad in 2007 on six charges — felony murder, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road and speeding — stemming from the Oct. 4, 2006 wreck that killed 30-year-old Nancy Salado-Mayo. Her 6-year-old daughter also was injured. Brunstad, who was driving her family’s 2003 Mercedes C240 during the failed suicide attempt, was 16 at the time of the wreck on Roswell Road.

Q: What is the name of the cab driver who killed Margaret Mitchell, and what was his jail term?

— Shirley Zieve, Sandy Springs

A: Hugh D. Gravitt was a 29-year-old off-duty Atlanta taxi driver who was arrested for speeding, drunk driving and driving on the wrong side of the road, said Donald R. Rooney, curator of urban and regional history for the Atlanta History Center. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Mitchell was struck on Aug. 11, 1949, while crossing Peachtree and 13th streets, and she died five days later.


Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).