CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A suspect in a 1996 murder in Clarksville denied in court Tuesday that he hurt the woman, despite DNA evidence that prosecutors say links him to the 20-year-old crime.
Kenneth Bernard Hudspeth, 48, is charged with the murder of 23-year-old Crista Bramlitt, who was found dead inside her mobile home on Oct. 28, 1996. The cold case was reopened in 2019 with the new DNA evidence.
An autopsy revealed her cause of death was suffocation and that she had possibly been sexually assaulted.
On Tuesday, July 7, Hudspeth had a pre-trial hearing in Judge Jill Ayer’s court to discuss several motions pertaining to his upcoming trial in September.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Nash and defense attorney John Parker presented several motions concerning photos, statements and opinion about sexual assault.
Ayers ruled on what autopsy and crime scene photos the jury would be permitted to see. She also ruled that a statement made by the medical examiner, now-deceased, concerning his opinion as to whether a sexual assault occurred or not, would not be admissible during trial.
A motion to suppress certain parts of a videotaped interview that Detective Michael Ulrey conducted in Phoenix, Arizona, was also heard.
Ulrey testified during the interview in April 2019 that Hudspeth did not seem to be under the influence of drugs and stated he wanted to help and cooperate.
When shown a photo of Bramlitt, Ulrey said Hudspeth explained how he knew her.
“He immediately recognized her from back in 1996,” Ulrey said. “He said he had an interaction with her in a mobile home park. He said he had two interactions with her in one day.”
Hudspeth told Ulrey he and his baby’s mother lived in Sunnydale Trailer Park in 1996. Hudspeth said he was on drugs at the time, but had been off drugs for a long time.
Hudspeth said he saw the drug dealer at Bramlitt’s trailer in 1996, and he wanted to buy crack cocaine. He went inside, smoked crack and left to see if his baby’s mother had returned. He then came back to the trailer, and the drug dealer was gone.
When Ulrey confronted Hudspeth with the DNA information, he denied having sex with Bramlitt or “doing anything to her.”
Ayers will rule on the motion to suppress statements on Aug. 21 during the trial conference.
Hudspeth is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder in the perpetration of a crime and aggravated rape.
His trial is scheduled for Sept. 21.