NEWPORT, Ky. — More than a year after a father of six was killed while helping a disabled motorist on the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, the driver accused of hitting him appeared in court for the first time Tuesday on a reckless homicide charge.
John Ray, 23, walked into a Newport courtroom for his arraignment and pleaded not guilty in connection with the death of Antonio Conrad.
Ray was not incarcerated before the hearing and walked out of court afterward. There was no immediate word on bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 10.
WATCH: Family questions why it took a year to bring charges in good Samaritan’s death
For Conrad's family, the court appearance marked movement in a case they say has come with little communication about why it took nearly a year to reach this point.
"I did finally get to see (Ray)," Conrad's mother, Silver, said after the hearing. "So, that was a plus for me."
Conrad stopped to help a stranger
The case dates back to the overnight hours of July 5, 2025, when Newport police said Conrad was traveling on I-471 across the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, better known as the Big Mac Bridge, when he came upon a disabled vehicle in the far-right lane.
Conrad stopped his vehicle and got out to help push the disabled car.
Police said Ray then crashed into the back of Conrad's vehicle, pinning Conrad between the two vehicles.
Conrad, a 36-year-old father of six, was taken to the hospital, where he died.
His family said the circumstances surrounding his death reflected the kind of person Conrad was.
Nearly a year later, the grief remains constant.
"We're just pushing through, day by day," Silver said. "For a while we didn't go over (the bridge). So it's still tough."
Police report says Ray admitted being distracted
A Newport police report provides additional details about what Ray allegedly told investigators after the crash.
According to the report, Ray admitted he was distracted in the moments leading up to the collision. He told officers he was trying to navigate when his phone fell to the floor just before the crash.
What the records do not explain is why nearly a year passed between the crash and Ray's indictment.
Ray remained at the scene after the crash, according to the police narrative. Conrad's family said that has made the length of the investigation particularly difficult for them to understand.
When we asked Silver why she believes it took so long to secure an indictment, she responded, "I don't know."
When asked whether there had been communication with the family, she said, "No communication."
Silver said the family received a phone call a few weeks before Tuesday's arraignment informing them the case had been taken to a grand jury. She said the family had met with the prosecutor once before that.
When the family finally received information about what investigators say happened that morning, Silver said much of it came from the same public records available to everyone else.
"We got the police report," she said. "That's all the information we got off of the police report. Nothing else."
WCPO 9 asked the Campbell County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office why it took nearly a year for the case to result in an indictment but did not receive a response Tuesday.
'He never met a stranger'
While the court case focuses on the circumstances of Conrad's death, his family wants people to remember why he was standing on the interstate that morning in the first place.
The disabled truck wasn't his.
He stopped anyway.
"He was a gentle giant," Conrad's aunt Sienna Thompson said. "Always loving, always family, always willing to help out. He never met a stranger. That smile was contagious."
Conrad was a father of six and had four grandchildren,
His daughter, Anieya Phillips, described him as the "best grandpa."
"He was very, very attentive with his grandchildren, from school field trips to holidays, to the random days that you don't even think about," Phillips said. "He made them special."
For Silver, the early-morning phone call that told her something had happened to her son remains vivid.
She said she was listed as his emergency contact and received an emergency notification from his phone after the impact. She repeatedly called him before UC Medical Center eventually contacted the family.
"I relive that 3:42 in the morning every morning," she said. "It's when I got the call."
