Judge hands down 5-year sentence in deadly hit-and-run

JACKSON, Tenn —  A woman who plead guilty, earlier this year, to a deadly 2017 hit-and-run appears in court, where a Madison county judge decided her fate.

Almost a year after the fatal hit-and-run of 28-year-old Ramiza Robertson, the woman charged with running her over Natasha Washburn faced a judge who sentenced her, Tuesday evening. A nearly 5-hour sentencing hearing for Natasha Washburn. She pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and violating the financial responsibility law, in the fatal hit and run of Ramiza Robertson, back in April of 2017.

“I looked at whether it’s in the interest of society to protect future criminal conduct, whether lesser restrictions had been applied,” Judge Kyle Atkins said.

Judge Atkins heard testimony from key witnesses, such as Victoria Murphy, who was an eyewitness the night of the incident. The defense presented their argument, stating Washburn did not know she hit anything until she got home. Judge Atkins reviewed photos of the vehicle Washburn drove the night of the accident, as evidence in the case.

“And she drove the car in that condition and wants to ask this court to believe that she had no idea that she hit anything until she got home,” Judge Atkins said. “There’s no way I can believe that.”

The courtroom was filled with family and friends of both Robertson and Washburn, waiting for the judge’s decision.

“That’s a car moving at a pretty good speed and if you don’t know you hit that then you weren’t paying attention or you may not have been awake,” Judge Atkins said.

Washburn was sentenced to serve 4 years for vehicular homicide, along with one consecutive year for leaving the scene. She will serve 11 months and 29 days of the sentence and will be placed on probation supervised by community corrections.

After the sentencing WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reached out to both families for comment, who declined to speak on the judge’s ruling.

Natasha Washburn must also pay $7,910 in restitution along with a $50 fine.