A McMinn County man has been sentenced for the 2015 death of his 7-year-old son. Court documents state 35-year-old Raymond Shumate was originally charged with first-degree murder but took a plea deal to a reduced charge of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, He was given 16 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 percent. His wife, 33-year-old Jennifer Shumate, is charged with vehicular homicide and three counts of aggravated child abuse. She is awaiting trial.

In the 2015 wreck, 7-year-old Luke Shumate died from the injuries he sustained in the wreck while his brother, Jake Shumate, suffered critical injuries. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said a Chrysler mini van driven by Raymond Shumate, left Highway 307 near Eastanala Road and crashed into a tree, bursting into flames. Shumate’s two sons were trapped inside the fully engulfed car with their father when rescue personnel arrived on the scene. All three were extracted from the van and taken to Sweetwater Hospital before being taken to UT Medical Center.