ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. (TCN) — A 21-year-old man will spend three decades behind bars for killing his mother after he became upset over a phone.
The Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office announced that Shawn Willis entered a guilty plea on Aug. 11 to a charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Willis’ mother returned home from a night shift, and the defendant, who was 16 at the time, fatally shot her while she was sleeping in her bed. Willis had reportedly become upset because the victim took away his cellphone. Authorities said the defendant “protested with his mother about the cellphone being taken before she eventually went upstairs and went to sleep.” Willis purportedly retrieved an unsecured firearm and shot his mother twice.
According to court records reviewed by WBIR-TV, Willis called his girlfriend and said his mother was in bed covered in blood. His girlfriend’s dad went to check on the victim and reportedly found her deceased. WBIR reports that Willis provided conflicting stories about what had happened but eventually admitted to fatally shooting her.
Prosecutors noted that his sentence was “heavily influenced by restrictions” the state has for juveniles convicted of murder.
In a statement, District Attorney General Clark said, “This shocking crime demanded justice, and I am happy that it has been resolved as well as the law will allow. We remain grateful for the support of this grieving family that has suffered a wound that cannot heal.”
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