Both sides completed their proof Thursday in the case in which former paramedic Justin Whaley is charged with voluntary homicide by intoxication, among other counts.
Whaley opted not to take the witness stand. He is charged with the July 3, 2018, traffic death of James Brumlow, a father of four.
Whaley was not injured in the grinding head-on collision at the intersection of Highway 111 and Highway 27 at Soddy Daisy. He told those at the scene that he was at fault by going the wrong way in the dark after first missing his turn up Highway 111, then doing a u turn and winding up in the northbound lanes of southbound Highway 111..
Both sides called experts on intoxication with the prosecution witness saying that Whaley could have been intoxicated as high as 0.12. That is based on his blood alcohol level of 0.020 four hours after the wreck.
Dr. Jimmy Valentine disagreed, saying the alcohol level was so low that higher numbers could not be validly extrapolated.
The defense called one witness who said there had been a number of incidents of wrong-way drivers on Highway 27 and Highway 111, though not necessarily at the location where this wreck happened.
Greg Allen, who was Whaley's supervisor for several years, said he went to the scene of the wreck. He said Whaley told him he was fine, but he said he still checked over his body carefully. He said in doing so, he did not smell any odor of alcohol, and he said Whaley did not appear to be impaired. He said Whaley told him he was at fault. He said he told him to stop talking, saying it was not his role to take a statement.
Steven Scott, who also worked for Hamilton County EMS, said he was also at the wreck scene. He said he knew Whaley well, having worked a number of accidents with him. He was aware Whaley had started a shooting range. He said he got near Whaley at the scene and detected a "hint" of alcohol. He said he drove the ambulance carrying James Brumlow to the hospital.
Attorneys were giving their final arguments to the jury in the courtroom of Judge Boyd Patterson on Thursday afternoon.