Bio

Bradley Mullins was born in 1986 in the United States. At the time of the incident, Mullins was a teenager living in Tennessee and was known locally as a car enthusiast. According to testimony later presented in court, he drove a black Ford Mustang and was involved in local street racing activity in the Johnson City and Washington County area. Prosecutors later argued that his familiarity with high-performance driving and illegal racing contributed to the reckless decisions that led to the deadly collision.

On the night of September 24, 2005, Mullins was driving through Johnson City, Tennessee, shortly before midnight. Prosecutors alleged that he encountered David Phillips, an older driver operating a Dodge Viper, while both vehicles waited at a traffic light. Witnesses later testified that the two drivers revved their engines and accelerated aggressively once the light changed.

Defense attorneys later argued that Mullins had not intended to hurt anyone and described the collision as the result of a reckless decision during what they called a “drag race gone bad.” His legal team maintained throughout the trial that Mullins accepted responsibility for causing the crash itself, but disputed allegations that he knowingly committed murder.

The case quickly attracted significant public attention across Tennessee because the victim, Cortney Hensley, had recently been crowned homecoming queen at David Crockett High School. The combination of illegal street racing, extreme speed, and the death of a popular teenager transformed the case into one of the region’s most closely followed criminal prosecutions of the mid-2000s.

Murder Story

On the night of September 24, 2005, 17-year-old Cortney Hensley and her best friend, Courtney Beard, had spent the evening together after attending homecoming events connected to David Crockett High School in Tennessee. Earlier, Hensley had been crowned homecoming queen. Later that night, the two teenagers picked up developed photographs from a local pharmacy and began driving home in Beard’s Honda CRV.

At approximately the same time, Bradley Mullins was driving his black Ford Mustang along a busy roadway in Washington County. Prosecutors later alleged that Mullins engaged in an illegal street race with David Phillips, who was driving a Dodge Viper. Witnesses stated that both vehicles accelerated rapidly from a red light shortly before the collision.

According to courtroom testimony, Mullins continued accelerating even after police officers observed the speeding vehicles and attempted to pursue them. Prosecutors argued that the Mustang reached speeds estimated between 125 and 130 miles per hour as it traveled toward another intersection where Beard and Hensley had stopped at a red light.

Moments later, Mullins crashed directly into the rear of the Honda CRV. The impact was catastrophic. Investigators stated that the force of the collision pushed the Honda approximately 250 feet down the roadway. The vehicle’s fuel system ruptured during the crash, and sparks ignited spilled gasoline, causing the SUV to burst into flames.

Bystanders and emergency responders rushed to the scene and managed to pull Courtney Beard from the burning wreckage. She suffered severe burns over a large portion of her body and required extensive hospitalization and treatment. However, rescuers were unable to save Cortney Hensley, who died inside the burning vehicle.

Following the crash, Mullins was arrested the same day. Authorities charged him and David Phillips with second-degree murder, vehicular homicide, attempted murder, reckless endangerment, and drag racing offenses. Prosecutors argued that both men knowingly participated in an illegal race on a heavily traveled public road and understood the deadly risks associated with their actions.

The trial opened in Washington County in May 2007 and drew widespread media coverage throughout Tennessee. Prosecutors presented testimony from eyewitnesses, investigators, and police officers who described the speed of Mullins’ Mustang and the sequence of events leading to the crash. The state argued that the race demonstrated extreme recklessness and disregard for human life.

Defense attorneys for Mullins acknowledged that he caused the collision but denied that he intended to kill anyone. His lawyer argued that the incident was a reckless accident rather than an intentional homicide. Attorneys for David Phillips separately maintained that Phillips had not actively participated in the race.

After approximately seven and a half hours of deliberation on May 22, 2007, the jury found Bradley Mullins guilty of reckless homicide, vehicular homicide, reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and drag racing. Jurors declined to convict him of second-degree murder, which could have resulted in a significantly longer prison sentence.

On July 31, 2007, Mullins received a sentence of 15 years in prison for his role in the fatal crash. The case became one of Tennessee’s most widely publicized prosecutions involving illegal street racing and was frequently cited in discussions about reckless driving and high-speed racing on public roads.