Motorist Sentenced in Officer’s Death

March 25, 2022 – A 53-year-old motorist was sentenced Friday on multiple felony counts, including aggravated vehicular homicide, stemming from a 2019 crash that killed veteran Memphis Police Lt. Myron Fair, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

Fair, a 25-year veteran who was approaching retirement, was on his way home from work when his vehicle was struck from behind at an intersection in Raleigh.

The crash occurred around 12:15 a.m. on March 21 at Austin Peay Highway and Yale Road. Investigators said Fair was stopped at a traffic light in his 2017 Altima when he was struck from behind by a 2015 Dodge Durango driven at a high rate of speed by Griffin. Griffin, who has three prior DUI convictions, walked away from the crash, and was arrested a short time later at a nearby service station.

Judge John Campbell (formerly of Criminal Court Division 6, now with the Tennessee Criminal Court of Appeals) sentenced Marquell Griffin to 23 years (at 60%) on the aggravated vehicular homicide charge, 2 years on the charge of leaving the scene of an accident, and 2 years on possession of a controlled substance. The sentences are to be served consecutively, totaling 27 years.

The case was handled by Chief Prosecutor Glen Baity and Assistant District Attorney Kenya Smith of the DA’s DUI Prosecution Unit whose members work with local law enforcement seeking to reduce the number of DUI-related fatalities and injuries. The DUI Prosecution Unit also conducts training sessions to update law enforcement officers on changes in traffic and DUI laws.