Sarah Kasunic

Authorities in Tennessee have charged a Knoxville man with killing a former Butler County woman and Tennessee resident while driving drunk last year.

Sarah Kasunic, 23, a graduate of Knoch High School and Butler County Community College, died March 23 along with another woman after the two were stuck by a car while standing outside their vehicles.

The driver, McKenzie B. Lashley, 32, was charged Feb. 12 with a number of criminal charges related to the accident, according to news reports.

Lashley is charged with vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and failure to exercise due care, according to Knox County's case information.

According to the grand jury presentment, Lashley was under the influence of alcohol during the accident, and his blood alcohol content level was above .08.

The Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper reported at the time that shortly after 2 a.m. March 23, Ashley Moore, 38, of Goodlettsville, Tenn., apparently stopped to help Kasunic, who was involved in a crash on Interstate 40 east of Knoxville.

Both Moore and Kasunic got out of their vehicles and were struck by a vehicle traveling east on the interstate, police told the News Sentinel.

Moore died at the scene. Kasunic died after being taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Lashley wasn't injured during the accident. At the time of the accident, the crash was under investigation and the Knox County District Attorney's office declined to comment, citing “ethical rules.” Kasunic's family also declined to comment at that time.

According to the grand jury presentment, Lashley had been convicted for driving under the influence in 2011.

Kasunic was a registered nurse in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

While at Knoch, the former Jefferson Township resident played tennis and participated in extracurricular activities such as National Honor Society, speech and debate, and Spanish Club.

She graduated from Knoch in 2013 and from BC3 in 2016.