Elgin Horton was sentenced to a consecutive term of 20 years in prison after the September 2014 vehicular homicide of Jordan Guess. Mr. Guess was a Chattanooga State graduate and local actor.
Police said the car in which the victim was traveling was stopped at a red light on Central Avenue when it was struck from behind by Horton, sending the vehicle through the intersection and into a parking lot. They said over 200 feet of skid-marks were left by the defendant’s car and that Mr. Guess had to be extricated from the remains of the vehicle.
Horton was charged with vehicular homicide, DUI, reckless aggravated assault, driving on a revoked license, violation of the financial responsibility law, not having insurance, leaving the scene of an accident, and speeding.
On Thursday, prosecution said Horton “began his adult criminal career in 1995, when he was 19 years old,” and “in 2015 it was indicated that he was a suspected member of the Vice Lords gang.”
Judge Don Poole noted that Horton has had 54 misdemeanor convictions and 3 felony convictions. He called the circumstances of the incident horrifying, shocking, and offensive, and said that there was overwhelming evidence to show the defendant was guilty of criminal behavior and conduct in the past and had “failed miserably” to comply with the conditions of release when given the opportunity to live in the community.
Horton was out on probation at the time of the 2014 slaying.
“The confinement for an extended period of time is necessary to protect society,” said Judge Poole.
While some of the time Horton was sentenced in the workhouse was to be served concurrently, the total effective consecutive sentence for his charges came to 20 years in the department of corrections.
When given the opportunity, the defendant spoke to the court, apologizing to the Guess family and accepting responsibility for his actions.
“There are no words that can describe the remorse or great sorrow that I feel for being the cause of that loss. … More than anything today, I ask for forgiveness from the Guess family. … I understand the severity and weight of my mistake. I humbly and earnestly ask that through time you may find it in your hearts to forgive me,” he said. “I’m a very kind, compassionate, and humble person that made a very, very bad mistake.”
Prosecution said “if taking the life of a 20-year-old boy, the only son of the now devastated parents who are here today, if that doesn’t change a persons actions, nothing will.”