A Clarksville man was sentenced Wednesday to 3½ years of probation after entering an open plea to vehicular homicide in connection with a fatal crash on Guthrie Highway in November 2023.
Case background and plea
Twenty-five-year-old Nicholas Wade Hawkins pleaded guilty Dec. 8, 2025, to vehicular homicide in the crash that killed Tammy Biggins, 53. As part of the agreement, prosecutors dismissed a separate charge of vehicular homicide–driver intoxication. The wreck occurred Nov. 5, 2023, at about 4:15 a.m. near the 4200 block of Guthrie Highway.
Authorities say Biggins was driving a 2013 Kia Forte when her vehicle was struck head-on after Hawkins crossed into oncoming traffic while driving a 2021 Nissan Versa. Biggins was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family addresses the court
At Wednesday’s hearing, relatives of the victim described the personal toll the crash has taken on them and urged the court to impose the maximum sentence. Christina Keller, Biggins’ sister, brought a framed photo of the two women and recounted the depth of their relationship.
“I just miss my sister,”Keller said through tears, telling the court their final conversation occurred just hours before the collision.
Keller also said she remains in the throes of grief following the earlier death of her husband and that the loss of her sister has had ongoing effects on her daily life. She told the court she now experiences panic attacks while driving and avoids driving at night. In urging a harsher penalty, she asserted that the defendant should not have been consuming alcohol and operating a vehicle.
“He shouldn’t be drinking and driving,”she said, asking the judge to impose the longest possible sentence and require Hawkins to complete alcohol-related programs.
Biggins’ daughter, Cheyenne Grandowicz, characterized her mother as a generous, free-spirited person who often helped others and provided meals for those in need.
“My mother really tried to be the best person she could for anyone,”Grandowicz said.
Legal outcomes and next steps
Hawkins entered what court records describe as an open plea in which he admitted guilt to vehicular homicide. The more serious charge that alleged intoxication behind the wheel was dropped as part of the plea agreement. The judge imposed supervised probation rather than a prison sentence.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Defendant | Nicholas Wade Hawkins, 25 |
| Victim | Tammy Biggins, 53 |
| Charges | Vehicular homicide (plea); vehicular homicide–driver intoxication (dismissed) |
| Sentence | 3½ years probation |
| Crash date | Nov. 5, 2023 |
| Location | Near 4200 block of Guthrie Highway, Clarksville |
Local impact and community reaction
The case has drawn attention in Clarksville both for the tragic loss and for questions about accountability and public safety. Family members’ courtroom statements emphasized the human consequences beyond legal outcomes: a daughter’s loss of a mother, a sister’s compounded grief and new driving anxieties that affect daily life.
Officials previously charged Hawkins with both vehicular homicide and vehicular homicide–driver intoxication in September 2024. The county sheriff’s office responded to the scene in 2023, and local reporting at the time memorialized the victim and documented the crash investigation.
- Victim remembrance: Biggins’ family described her as a helping, free-spirited person who served her community.
- Legal note: An open plea resulted in probation and the dismissal of an intoxication-related charge.
- Community concern: Relatives urged stronger penalties and alcohol-related interventions for the defendant.
The sentencing marks a legal resolution to a case that continues to resonate with those who knew the victim and those in Clarksville concerned about roadway safety. Court records show the plea and sentence; family statements at the hearing underscored their intention to remember and honor Biggins while seeking accountability through the judicial process.
