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Man twice convicted of Knox County killings also considered 'person of interest' in trio's disappearance

Jeremy J. "Big Country" Hardison was convicted last week in Criminal Court of first-degree murder.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A man twice convicted of killing someone in Knoxville is also a person of interest in the disappearance of three people in late 2017 and early 2018, the Knox County District Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday.

Authorities are hoping potential witnesses who may have information about the disappearances will step forward now that Jeremy J. "Big Country" Hardison, 42, is heading to prison for the rest of his life.

Police previously have issued releases about the missing trio. But no one had linked them publicly to Hardison.

Credit: KPD

Bonnie Drane, 47, was last seen Dec. 27, 2017, while visiting someone at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to Charme Allen's office.

William "Will" Inklebarger, 42, was last seen Dec. 29, 2017, by his father at a Cherry Street motel. And family members last heard from Brenda Carroll, 48, on New Year's Day 2018 by a Facebook message.

Credit: TDOC
Jeremy Hardison while in the state prison system in 2014.

Carroll "was believed to be in the company of both Drane and Inklebarger, with whom she had been living," according to the Wednesday announcement.

Last week, a Knox County Criminal Court jury convicted Hardison of murder. Judge Scott Green then sentenced him to life in prison. Hardison shot Johnathan Stewart, 33, in the back and killed him at the intersection of Selma and Ben Hur avenues.

Witnesses told police Hardison was the shooter.

Credit: Our Missing Hearts
Notice put out after Inklebarger, Drane and Carroll disappeared.

"(The Knoxville Police Department) obtained a search warrant for Hardison's residence where they found an AR-15 with rifling consistent with the ballistic evidence recovered at the scene," according to the DA's office.

Gregory P. Isaacs and his firm represent Hardison. Prosecutors Hector Sanchez and Joanie Stewart tried last week's case before Green for the state.

In September 2005, Hardison pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for an April 2001 killing for which he'd originally been charged with first-degree murder. He also pleaded at the time to a felony cocaine charge.

Hardison has an arrest record that dates to the late 1990s. Additional convictions include one for theft.

Wednesday's announcement includes a comment from DA Allen: "We need help from the community to solve this case. Now that Hardison is serving life in prison, we hope that witnesses who may have been reluctant to come forward will now feel safe cooperating with law enforcement. In this and every case, we need witnesses. As the number of homicides this year approaches an all-time high, we need assistance from the community so offenders can be held accountable and victims can find peace."

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