A devastating chapter closed for a Georgia family yesterday, as the man responsible for the deaths of their loved ones received his prison sentence. Diontre Tigner, convicted of a 2016 high-speed chase that ended in tragedy, was sentenced to two life sentences for the incident that claimed the lives of a grandmother and her two grandchildren.
The chase occurred when Tigner, then 16, stole a vehicle and led police on a pursuit through College Park, resulting in a collision that killed 75-year-old Dorothy Wright along with her grandchildren, 12-year-old Camron Costner and 6-year-old Layla Partridge. Tigner fled the scene and evaded capture until 2021. According to a report by Atlanta News First, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams delivered the two life sentences to Tigner following his conviction on all 15 counts, including six counts of felony murder.
In a statement obtained by Atlanta News First, Judge Esmond Adams said to Tigner during the sentencing, "The unfortunate thing is that you made decision that has impacted not just your life, but also another family. I don’t know how you expected the chase to end." The loss experienced by the family was also addressed by Joi Wright Partridge, who lost her family in the crash. "It doesn’t bring anyone back. We still lost our family. It’s just a slight closure, it’s not Healing or anything. A little bit of justice has been served," Partridge told Atlanta News First.
Atlanta News First also reported that while the jury was not privy to Tigner’s driving record or his continued criminal activities after the fatal crash, these factors were taken into account by Judge Esmond Adams during sentencing deliberations. "I can’t unknow what I now know. You engaged in this action when you were 16, but years later, you were still stealing cars," the judge stated. A separate report by FOX 5 Atlanta confirmed that Tigner's sentence included two life sentences, along with an additional five years for one of the vehicular homicide charges.
The defendant's attorney has the option to appeal the sentencing, as acknowledged by Judge Esmond Adams. However, for the Wright family and friends, the sentence brings a small measure of justice in a tragedy that tore from them the very heart of a family en route to church one fateful morning.
