Shepherd enters guilty plea to 3 counts of vehicular homicide

Amanda Chatman and her two sons

Michael Don Shepherd has received a 24-year sentence in prison in the January 2021 deaths of a Cookeville mother and her two children.

According to Bryant Dunaway, district attorney general for the 13^th Judicial District, Shepherd entered a plea of guilty, on April 18, 2022, to three counts of vehicular homicide by intoxication and one count of evading arrest in a motor vehicle.

On Jan. 26, 2021, Shepherd had reportedly been driving recklessly on Interstate 40 and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Dunaway said that Shepherd, who was driving a truck, fled from a law enforcement officer at a high rate of speed and continued to drive recklessly and endangered others.

Dunaway said Shepherd exited the interstate during morning rush hour traffic and continued to flee through traffic in the city of Cookeville.  As his truck approached the intersection with South Willow Avenue, Shepherd reportedly ran the red light and crashed into a Nissan automobile that was traveling northbound on South Willow. The vehicle was occupied by Amanda Chatman and her two children, Alexton, 4, and Braydon, 3.  According to Dunaway, the impact of the two vehicles resulted in a violent crash, causing both vehicles to roll and come to rest on the west side of South Willow Avenue. Chatman and her two sons were killed in the crash.  

Investigators obtained a blood sample from Shepherd, which was tested at the Tennessee Bureau Investigation crime lab.  According to Dunaway, the results of the testing showed that Shepherd had an “enormously high level” of methamphetamine is his blood at the time of the crash.  

Shepherd was interviewed after the crash by investigators.  Dunaway said Shepherd admitted to intentionally fleeing from a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper at a high speed because he [Shepherd] knew he had an outstanding warrant.  Shepherd also reportedly admitted he had injected methamphetamine earlier that morning.

Cookeville Police Department and Tennessee Highway Patrol were involved in the investigation.  Dunaway prosecuted the case.

“The loss of the lives of Amanda Chatman and her two sons, Alexton and Braydon, ages 4 and 3, is heartbreaking for so many reasons,” Dunaway said. “Their deaths were completely avoidable and are due directly to the selfish decisions of Michael Don Shepherd who chose to recklessly operate his truck while under the influence of a large amount of methamphetamine. Please keep Amanda, her two boys and their family in your prayers. It is so hard to deal with such loss.”