Suspect in Crash that Killed Rod & Paula Bramblett Allowed to Go into Home Confinement
Photo from Lee Co. Sheriff’s Office
A judge in Lee County is allowing the teenager charged in the wreck that killed Auburn University broadcaster Rod Bramblett and his wife Paula to be released to home confinement.
Circuit Judge Jacob Walker says because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he is reinstating bond for 17-year-old Johnston Edward Taylor. That will allow him to return home after he finishes an in-patient addiction treatment program.
Walker had previously revoked Taylor’s bond.
Investigators say Taylor was speeding when he rear-ended the Brambletts’ SUV in Auburn on May 25, 2019. He was later charged with two counts of manslaughter.
The Brambletts and Taylor were taken to East Alabama Medical Center for treatment after the wreck. Paula Bramblett died in the emergency room of internal injuries. She was 52. Rod Bramblett died of a head injury after being flown to Birmingham for treatment. He was 53.
Rod Bramblett had been a broadcaster at Auburn since 1993 and became the lead sports announcer in 2003 after the death of Jim Fyffe. He was known as “The Voice of the Auburn Tigers.” Paula Bramblett also worked for the university in the IT Department.
(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)
