Serial offender out on parole accused of killing 23-year-old woman in stolen truck chase: police

A serial repetition offender successful Tennessee is accused of stealing a pickup motortruck and starring constabulary connected a pursuit that ended with him smashing into a car and sidesplitting its driver, identified arsenic a 23-year-old woman.

Ray Eugene Padgett, 52, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and vehicular homicide by recklessness successful transportation with the decease of Oluwalayomi Fadero, 23, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department announced.

Padgett has besides been charged with felony reckless endangerment, attempted transgression homicide, and driving connected a revoked license.

The 52-year-old, constabulary said, was retired connected parole and had "at slightest 20 transgression convictions successful 5 Tennessee counties" earlier the crash.

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Ray Eugene Padgett, 52, is present jailed successful lieu of $805,000 enslaved connected aggregate felony counts, including criminally negligent homicide and vehicular homicide by recklessness, for allegedly sidesplitting a 23-year-old Nashville pistillate portion driving a stolen Ford F-250 pickup truck. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)

Padgett, constabulary say, is suspected of stealing the pickup motortruck from a Nashville car batch connected Friday, March 20.

The proprietor of the batch was capable to way the motortruck to an alley disconnected St. Louis Street successful North Nashville, constabulary said. Authorities accidental that the proprietor of the batch followed Padgett and spotted the stolen F-250.

Padgett allegedly enactment the motortruck successful reverse and rammed the conveyance the proprietor was successful earlier fleeing. Charges related to those occurrences are anticipated, constabulary noted.

Oluwalayomi Fadero, an aspiring nurse, was remembered arsenic a dedicated student.  (UTC College of Nursing/Facebook)

Padgett kept driving successful the stolen conveyance and, according to WSMV, a 2nd ramming occurred arsenic constabulary began tracking the stolen motortruck via helicopter.

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"The volition astatine that constituent is to support an oculus connected the motortruck until it yet stops, person crushed units determination in, and instrumentality the antheral into custody," MNPD Public Information Officer Don Aaron told the section outlet.

Police said that the operator spotted an unmarked constabulary car successful the median and rammed it earlier starring authorities connected an astir 5-minute car chase.

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The pursuit ended astir 2:30 p.m. erstwhile Padgett crossed into oncoming postulation and Oluwalayomi Fadero's achromatic Hyundai Elantra, pushing them astir 100 yards into a ditch, constabulary said.

Fadero was pronounced dormant astatine the scene.

Oluwalayomi Fadero was weeks distant from completing her nursing grade astatine the University of Tennessee astatine Chattanooga erstwhile she was killed. (GoFundMe)

The University of Tennessee astatine Chattanooga's College of Nursing remembered Fadero arsenic "a valued subordinate of the August 2026 cohort" who was successful the college's accelerated nursing school. 

"She brought airy to those astir her done her kindness, generosity, beauteous smile, and genuine passionateness for helping others," they said.

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A GoFundMe for Fadero says she was turning onto the roadworthy wherever she lived erstwhile she was killed.

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"She was simply connected her mode home, and her canine Nala was with her successful the car," the fundraiser said, adding that "miraculously, Nala survived the clang and was reunited with Oluwalayomi's loved ones."

"The nonaccomplishment of Oluwalayomi has near a heavy void successful the hearts of everyone who knew her," it said.

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Fadero was acceptable to implicit a nursing grade astatine the University of Tennessee astatine Chattanooga successful August.