HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Nancy Tucker expected her son Adrian to stop by for Christmas dinner on Dec. 22, 2023, during a break from his shift at a Hopkinsville auto plant. Instead, his girlfriend called to say he had been in a crash and someone had died. Adrian Tucker, 34, was killed when a Nissan driven by Jaden Johnson crossed the center line and hit his Honda on a two-lane road in the Hopkinsville Industrial Park. Police estimated Johnson had been traveling about 90 mph in a 35-mph zone. The collision forced Adrian’s car against a tree, and rescuers had to extract him from the wreckage. Nearly three years later, Nancy Tucker says she is still trying to understand why investigators did not obtain a toxicology test and why she had to fight for basic records. Those records, released after an appeal, showed that police reported smelling marijuana in Johnson’s car and later found a whiskey bottle, marijuana and three burned marijuana-filled cigars. Kentucky law requires an investigating officer to seek a warrant for blood testing after a fatal vehicle crash unless testing has already been done with consent. Police records and officials have offered different explanations for why no useful test was obtained. Johnson was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and one police account said he could not consent because of his injuries. Other records describe him speaking with officers at the scene, including asking them to contact his grandfather. Police later said Vanderbilt had not run a toxicology screen. Without a test, prosecutors could not establish whether Johnson was impaired. That left the family without an answer about possible alcohol or drug use and limited which charges prosecutors could pursue, according to the account of the case. Johnson ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and received a five-year sentence. He is now scheduled for a parole hearing, which Tucker was told has been moved to January. “I don’t want any parent to go through what I have endured,” Tucker said. She said not knowing what happened, and having to press officials for information about her son’s death, was devastating. “It’s like they keep killing him over and over again,” she said of the continuing struggle to learn what happened. The case also exposed a dispute over access to police records. Tucker’s first request, filed in August 2024, was denied. The department later released only part of the file. In January 2025, the Kentucky attorney general’s office found that Hopkinsville police had violated the state Open Records Act by withholding records without the required justification, citing a Kentucky Supreme Court ruling that barred blanket denials in such cases. The legislature changed the law later in 2025, allowing police agencies to deny some records requests without detailing how disclosure could harm an investigation. Tucker’s attorney, Rick Adams, said the change weakened transparency for residents, journalists and crime victims. Even after the investigation ended, he said, the department was slow to produce its records: a letter from October 2025 said it had released 141 pages of more than 900 responsive pages. The delayed disclosures included the whiskey bottle and marijuana found in Johnson’s vehicle. Tucker said no one from police or the prosecution had told her alcohol might have been involved. Johnson’s case was handled by more than one prosecutor. Christian County Commonwealth’s Attorney Maureen Leamy asked for a special prosecutor because of her longstanding relationship with Henry Gould, Johnson’s step-grandfather, who had been president of the local Fraternal Order of Police and is a special deputy sheriff. Gould was summoned to the crash scene at Johnson’s request. He denied using his law enforcement connections to help Johnson, and said Johnson was not welcome in his home. The investigating detective also said he did not believe Gould influenced the investigation. After prosecutors recused themselves, a special prosecution team took over. Johnson pleaded guilty in October 2025. Tucker had understood a judge’s order requiring “85% parole eligibility” to mean Johnson would serve most of his five-year sentence. But judges do not set parole eligibility dates in Kentucky; state law and the parole board govern those decisions. The Kentucky Supreme Court has been asked to determine whether a 2024 law requiring some violent offenders to serve 85% of their sentences applies to people whose offenses came before it took effect. Tucker’s pursuit of records began before the case was resolved and continued afterward. She was helped by lawyers who represented her pro bono and by organizations supporting crime victims and open government. Hopkinsville Community College has also established an annual award in Adrian’s name for a graduate of its advanced manufacturing technology program, which he completed in 2019. Tucker says she wants changes in the city’s approach to transparency and accountability. “Definitely need some change,” she said. “Definitely need some transparency. Definitely need some accountability.”