Updated: 1/22/2008 7:52:46 AM
The three suspects now facing charges in the murder and mutilation of 94-year-old Willie Morgan have a history of theft, drugs, and even kidnapping in East Tennessee.
Brice Whaley, Jessica Lane, and Darrel Nance have faced drug charges in our area.
One of them, 22-year-old Darrel Nance has faced aggravated kidnapping charges in Hamblen County before.
"I think he died a horrible, brutal death--- tragically for an elderly man to live on this earth for 94 years, and thugs would do that to a human being who was well liked in the community that he lived in," Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnigan said.
The trio of suspects Jarnigan's office has named have been in and out of jail. It appears Nance is the ringleader. He faces the most serious charge of the three, first degree murder.
Morgan's family says the group came to Willie Morgan's home, looking for Willie's grandson, Donnie.
"They went there looking for Donnie, and Donnie wasn't there so they got Willie," stepdaughter Nancy McCann said. "If they couldn't get Donnie, they would get the closest thing to him."
Nance is no stranger to East Tennessee law enforcement. He's faced a slew of charges in Hamblen County dating back to 2004. They include burglary, drug charges, carjacking, aggravated robbery, and in 2006, a charge of especially aggravated kidnapping.
Jessica Lane, who turned 23 years old Monday, has been charged with assault and shoplifting in Hamblen County.
The third suspect, 38-year-old Brice Whaley, is the oldest of the three but has the cleanest Hamblen County criminal record. In 2006, he was charged with a pair of drug-related crimes.
Now, Jarnigan says investigators are piecing together the latest evidence, in hopes they'll give prosecutors all the ammunition they need.
"Ahead in this case is to push the envelope and get these people as much time as we can get them," Jarnigan said.
All three suspects are expected to make their initial appearances in court Tuesday morning in Morristown.
--Click here for Darrell Nance's inmate summary from the Hamblen County Jail. --Click here for Brice Whaley's inmate summary from the Hamblen County Jail. --Click here for Jessica Lane's inmate summary from the Hamblen County Jail.
Morgan's family members told the sheriff they negotiated by phone with kidnappers over a ransom demand before alerting police that the man was missing.
According to Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin, Morgan's body was found just after 6:00 am Monday morning, off Technology Way in Hamblen County.
The body was missing its left hand. Sheriff Jarnagin said Morgan was tortured while still alive, but that his hand appears to have been severed after death.
Police believe Morgan was abducted from his home Saturday. Kidnappers then contacted family members to demand money. When the negotiations broke down, family members called police. Saturday night, authorities were told their elderly relative had been kidnapped and was in danger.
Six suspects in the man's disappearance were picked up in Chattanooga and questioned most of the day and night Sunday. Police said they found the suspects at the Red Roof Inn on Shallowford Road after following a tip. Three of the six suspects were then arrested and charged.
Butcher knives and Willie Morgan's missing hand were discovered in a vehicle connected to the suspects now in custody. Jarnagin says one of the suspects led authorities to the body Monday morning.
The sheriff said more arrests are pending.
