Defendant Convicted of Murdering Woman and Unborn Child

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Major Crimes Unit obtained convictions against a man who shot a woman and her unborn child. Brandon Scott Donaldson, 28, was convicted of two counts of Second Degree Murder. Judge Steve Sword set the case for sentencing on August 30.

In a five-day trial, Assistant District Attorneys Kevin Allen and Molly Martin explained to the jury that on February 13, 2013, Donaldson fired eleven rounds at Marcia Crider and her mother as they drove away after an argument. Crider was struck by two of the rounds, one of which killed her unborn child. She was thirteen-weeks pregnant. Donaldson is the first defendant convicted in Knox County under a law that allows for the prosecution of defendants who murder a fetus, regardless of the viability of the unborn child. Under prior law, the fetus had to be viable in order sustain a charge for murder.

At sentencing, Donaldson faces fifteen to twenty-five years in prison for each count. Prosecutors will ask the Court to impose the maximum sentence of fifty years in prison without the possibility of parole.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.