Steve Perry lost a limb of his family tree on June 25.
In an instant, a grandmother, daughter and two granddaughters died - struck by a tractor trailer on Interstate 75 in Chattanooga in a nine-vehicle pileup that killed six.
The truck failed to stop when traffic ahead slowed just north of Exit 11, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, and plowed through vehicles for 453 feet before halting.
The driver, 39-year-old Ben Brewer, was not injured and has been charged with six counts of vehicular homicide.
So when Brewer appeared in Hamilton County Criminal Court for the first time on Friday, Perry made sure he was there.
The grandmother who died, Sandra Anderson, was his cousin. Tiffany Watts, 31, was her daughter. The two girls, Savannah and Kelsie Garrigues, 9 and 11, were Tiffany's daughters.
"That whole branch of the family is gone now," said Perry, who lives in the Chattanooga area.
He plans to follow the case closely and attend whenever he can.
"I want to see that justice is followed through," he said. "We don't want to see that man driving again."
Brewer appeared briefly before Criminal Court Judge Don Poole for his arraignment on Friday. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, he kept his eyes on the floor.
"On this case, Mr. Brewer, do you have a lawyer?" Poole asked.
"I'm working on that," Brewer replied. "Not that I know of."
Poole appointed public defender Erinn O'Leary to represent Brewer and ordered him to return to court on Oct. 14.
In addition to six counts of vehicular homicide, he is also charged with four counts of reckless aggravated assault, driving under the influence of narcotics, speeding and making false reports about his duty status.
Allegations of Brewer's misconduct, drug use and driving history surfaced quickly after the June 25 crash - he was involved in a wreck the day before, tested positive for methamphetamine and was wanted out of Wisconsin, where authorities suspected he was dealing drugs.
After a grand jury indicted Brewer, he was on the run for about a week before authorities found him in Lexington, Ky., not far from his hometown. Police said he also had $3,000 in cash and three grams of meth.
He was charged with trafficking meth and criminal mischief, but those charges were dropped so Brewer could be returned to Tennessee to face charges from the wreck.
Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.