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Knox County teen accused of killing uncle as a juvenile now charged with murder as an adult

Thomas Harper was 17 years old when he was first accused of killing his uncle. A grand jury recently indicted him for first-degree murder as an adult.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A man accused of shooting and killing his uncle when he was 17 years old will face trial for murder as an adult, according to court records.

Thomas Harper is accused of killing his uncle, Timothy Wayne "Tim" Mosley, about 1:40 a.m. Jan. 31 after knocking on his West Knox County door. They lived next door to each other in the 9000 block of Neely Lane.

►RELATED: KCSO: One dead after overnight shooting near Northshore

Court papers don't state why Harper decided to shoot Mosley with a rifle. A petition states he was "upset" with him and told his brother that "he was going to kill the victim."

Some 30-45 minutes after making that statement, according to a juvenile petition, Harper went next door to his uncle's home with the rifle, knocked on the door, shot Mosley two times and then fled.

When Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived, they found that Mosley had died.

Credit: KCSO
Thomas Harper, 18

"(Harper) called his father after the shooting, and his father assisted officers in locating and apprehending the defendant," the petition states.

Harper turned 18 in July.

The case began in Knox County Juvenile Court, but in August a judge decided the juvenile system could do nothing to help Harper. His case was bound over to a grand jury, which returned an indictment charging him with first-degree murder as an adult.

Harper is free on bond and is awaiting his first court appearance.

    

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