A 26-year-old Fayetteville man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday after he admitted causing the deaths of two women during a high-speed crash as he fled from police, Fulton County prosecutors said.
Christian Ree Harris pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and hit and run before Fulton Superior Judge Amanda Lee.
The incident began Sept. 9, 2009 when Clayton County police spotted a silver Chevrolet Silverado driven by Harris impeding traffic. The man had stopped to talk to a woman standing along Old Dixie Highway in an area known for prostitution.
Police stopped Harris, but after speaking briefly to an officer the driver gunned his engine and fled.
Officers pursued the suspect on I-75 and I-285. Harris exited onto Old National Highway and was speeding southbound at 90 mph through south Fulton County when he crossed the center line into northbound traffic at Biscayne Drive.
Harris crashed head-on into a black Saturn, instantly killing its driver, Bonnie Vicks, 57, and her passenger Zannie Hatcher, 73. The two women were coming home from a Wednesday night Bible study.
Harris also struck another vehicle, injuring its occupants, before stopping his truck. He tried to flee on foot but was caught by police.
At the time, Harris was released on bond for a July 2008 fleeing-and-eluding incident in Fulton County. He also pleaded guilty to that crime Tuesday and received a sentence of three years for that offense, making his combined prison time 33 years.
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