GREENEVILLE, Tenn — A man wanted for a murder in Greeneville has been arrested after a manhunt in Florida and is now accused of killing two more people. He told investigators he had plans to kill 11 people and wanted to be a serial killer.
Members of the Polk County Sheriff's Office SWAT team took Stanley Eric Mossburg, 35, into custody just after 5 a.m. Tuesday, after he barricaded himself inside a home and fired several shots at officers.
Mossburg, who goes by the nickname Woo Woo, had been added to the TBI's Most Wanted List Monday after investigators said he killed Christopher Scott Short at a Greeneville laundromat on Oct. 2.
After that, investigators said he fled Tennessee, traveling to South Carolina then Atlanta before heading to Florida, where they've traced his steps through Orlando, Seffner, and finally Winter Haven, Florida, where two more murders occurred.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said a man got home around 10:30 p.m. Sunday and came across Mossburg inside his house. He reportedly told him he wasn't going to kill him because "God told him not to," however, two other people -- a man and woman -- who also lived at the home, were already were dead.
Judd said the male victim had been killed quickly because he fought back. The woman was killed slowly because she reportedly cooperated with the killer. Both victims were killed with knives. Sheriff Judd said Mossburg poured bleach on the bodies and tried to clean the house before he left.
The man who was held captive all night said Mossburg took his car and left around lunchtime the next day, Judd said. He threatened to kill the man if he called the cops.
The surviving victim said that Mossburg told him he wanted to kill 11 people because he wanted to be a serial killer.
"I like killing people," he said, according to the sheriff.
Finally, at around 6 p.m., the man ran to his neighbor's house and called 911.
Police found a truck that had been stolen by Mossburg not far from the crime scene and eventually spotted him running through a back yard. They tracked him into a house where Mossburg was hiding behind a locked door.
Judd said deputies tried to kick the door down and Mossburg shot at them. They called in the SWAT team who deployed a chemical agent in an attempt to capture Mossburg, but Mossburg shot at them again.
When officers finally got into the room where Mossburg was hiding, he was under a pool table. When they attempted to lift it up, the table broke and fell down. Eventually, SWAT deployed a K9 to subdue Mossburg, who grabbed the dog with both hands but he was eventually subdued.
Mossburg was taken to the hospital to be treated for dog bites and was then booked into the Polk County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder. He was already charged in Tennessee with first-degree felony murder, especially aggravated robbery and especially aggravated kidnapping.
UPDATE 10/14:
Investigators have identified the man found dead near a laundromat in Greeneville earlier this month and said a suspect wanted for murder is on the run.
Greeneville Police said Christopher Scott Short was found dead beside the Celebrity Coin Laundry on East Andrew Johnson Highway on Oct. 2.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was contacted, and with their assistance and the assistance of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Department in South Carolina, Stanley Eric Mossburg was identified as the individual responsible for his murder.
Mossburg, 35, is believed to have fled Tennessee. Warrants charging him with first-degree felony murder, especially aggravated robbery and especially aggravated kidnapping have been obtained.
"We are working with the Smoky Mountain Fugitive Task Force in an attempt to locate Mossburg. The suspect should be considered armed and dangerous," Greeneville Police said.
The TBI added him to its Most Wanted list and is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to his capture.
He may also go by "WooWoo", investigators said.
If anyone has information about Mossburg’s location please contact 911, your local law enforcement agency, or the T.B.I. at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
ORIGINAL STORY 10/2/19:
A homicide investigation is underway on East Andrew Johnson Highway in Greeneville after police said they found a male dead.
Crews responded to 2055 E. Andrew Johnson Highway, which is near several businesses and Tusculum View Elementary School, Wednesday morning.
Greeneville Police Department Assistant Chief Michael Crum couldn't release much more information but said it was being investigated as a homicide.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is on scene assisting with the investigation.
This is a developing story. 10News will update this article as more information becomes available.
