Amusement park manager tried for murder after fatal ride
By Emanuella Grinberg
Court TV
(Court TV) -- One year after June Alexander's family watched her plummet 60 feet to her death from an amusement park ride, the park's manager will face murder charges.
Charles Martin, the manager of the Rockin' Raceway amusement park at the time of the incident, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder and reckless homicide for Alexander's death.
Jury selection was set to begin Wednesday in Sevierville, Tennessee, a rural area better known as the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains and the home of Dolly Parton's amusement park, Dollywood.
The Alexander family traveled more than 200 miles on March 14, 2004, to celebrate son Cody's 15th birthday at the amusement park in Pigeon Forge.
June Alexander, 50, and Cody boarded The Hawk, a pendulum ride that swings higher and higher until turning a complete 360 degrees.
As the two ascended, they began to cry out that June's safety harness was loose, and June's sister watched below, horrified.
Authorities later discovered that cables had been installed in the electrical panel to bypass a safety mechanism that prevents the ride from starting unless all safety harnesses are locked down, according to a police report.
Prosecutors contend Martin, who was not on the grounds at the time of the incident, should have been aware of the potential dangers the ride posed, particularly in light of evidence that the machine had been deliberately tampered with.
Separate civil suits filed by the victim's husband and sisters, who helplessly witnessed the incident, also allege Martin should have been aware of the threat posed by the ride, given a similar accident a year before in which an Indiana man clung with his legs for his life.
The defendant's lawyer, Bryan Delius, says his client is a law-abiding citizen who was unaware of the previous incident or the problems with the electrical panel.
In interviews with local newspapers, Delius said the only reason the prosecution went forward with the charges was to make tourists feel safe.
Suits filed by Alexander's sisters Gail Young and Judy Sprinkles, alleging negligent infliction of emotional distress were dismissed in January, but a wrongful death suit filed by the victim's husband, Richard Alexander, is pending.
The trial is expected to last three to four days. The proceedings will be aired live on Court TV and streamed on Court TV Extra.
