The Tennessee Supreme Court is considering whether a person can be convicted of a crime explicitly involving a deadly weapon if the victim was unaware a deadly weapon was present, following a 2018 road rage incident near Chattanooga.
William Rimmel III used a handgun in August 2018 to smash in Bobbie Burke’s car window on Interstate 24. The state’s highest court heard arguments Wednesday in Rimmel’s appeal of his criminal conviction in connection with the encounter.
“This case presents some fascinating, interesting facts and novel, if not maybe first-impression legal issues,” Patrick McNally, Rimmel’s attorney, said during a livestream of the proceedings.
Rimmel was riding a Ninja motorcycle Aug. 12, 2018, and Burke was driving a Honda Civic, the appeal states.
They accused one another of forcing their respective vehicles off the road. When both vehicles stopped, Burke drove into the back of Rimmel’s motorcycle.