“Get Up!”: The Cruel Words That Echo After a Tragic Loss
A moment of carelessness behind the wheel has cost a life, shattered a family, and horrified a community. In Knoxville, Tennessee, 46-year-old Kenyan Roshad Warren was found guilty of vehicular homicide after a shocking 2022 crash claimed the life of Stephanie Llewellyn and left another man with a fractured skull and devastating injuries.
But what makes this tragedy even more gut-wrenching is what happened after the crash.
Witnesses say Warren, instead of helping or showing remorse, got out of his truck, walked over to Stephanie—who lay dying in the street—and kicked her, yelling at her to get up. He then cursed at her and attempted to drag her across the pavement. The cruelty of that moment haunts those who saw it unfold and adds a disturbing depth to a crime already marked by recklessness.
Stephanie didn’t survive. She died from her injuries at the scene. The other victim, a man who was also struck, remains permanently scarred—physically and emotionally. The streets they walked that day have never felt the same since.
Under the Influence, Out of Control: A Deadly Mix
On the night of August 6, 2022, Warren was driving his pickup truck through Knoxville when he struck the two pedestrians. Prosecutors revealed during trial that Warren had a blood alcohol content of .106, and tested positive for cocaine and marijuana following a mandatory blood draw. Officers on the scene said he smelled strongly of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, and was unsteady on his feet. To make matters worse, Warren tried to hide his drinking—tossing a beer can under his truck in plain view of the responding officers.
Warren’s actions weren’t a tragic mistake—they were the consequences of deliberate choices to drive impaired and endanger lives. The court agreed. After a five-day trial, Warren was convicted of vehicular homicide, DUI, and reckless aggravated assault.
District Attorney General Charme Allen described Warren’s actions as a shocking example of what happens when substance abuse, recklessness, and total disregard for human life converge in one senseless act.
A Community Grieves, A Family Left with Unanswered Questions
The pain Stephanie’s family carries is unthinkable. They have lost a loved one in the most violent and disrespectful way imaginable. There was no goodbye, no final moment of comfort—only trauma, brutality, and injustice. Her memory is now tied to a roadside where a tragedy unfolded, and to a trial that forced them to relive the worst day of their lives.
The surviving victim and Stephanie’s loved ones are left to navigate life without her laughter, presence, or warmth. They are also now advocates—calling for accountability, for tougher laws, and for greater public awareness about the deadly consequences of impaired driving.
Kenyan Roshad Warren is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20, and the community waits with heavy hearts, hoping that justice—even in the smallest measure—will bring peace to those who remain.
Stephanie Llewellyn’s life mattered. Her story deserves to be told—not as a footnote in a court case, but as a call to protect the innocent, to remember the fallen, and to never accept cruelty in the face of tragedy.
