Homicides spread across most counties in region

Almost every county in the Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia region was home to a homicide in 2011, records show.

Some cases included multiple victims by a single assailant, while others involved multiple suspects and a single victim, according to newspaper archives. Here are incidents from some of the counties across the region.

TENNESSEE

Bledsoe County

• Aug. 16 -- Sisters Elizabeth Brown, 82, and Billie Sue Blaylock, 79, are found shot to death on their property on Mill Dam Road. Just days after their funerals, Elizabeth Brown's 47-year-old daughter-in-law, Brenda K. Brown, is charged in the slayings. She is the person who reported finding the bodies.

Bradley County

• April 19 -- Eddie and Debbie Phillips are shot to death outside their home near Charleston, Tenn. Police arrest and charge Aaron Lawson -- the father of their granddaughter. Police believe Lawson was angry because the Phillipses tried to keep him away from his daughter. Lawson is awaiting trial on murder charges.

• May 22 -- Armetta Foster is shot to death by Bradley County Sheriff's Office Deputy Dustin Patrick. Foster, 30, of Casselberry, Fla., was walking along Interstate 75 when she lashed out at Patrick, cutting him with a knife. She took his patrol car and Patrick opened fire on her.

• July 12 -- Elizabeth Carney is found strangled to death in her trailer at 1235 Sixth St. NE. David Keith Daughtery, 41, is charged with first-degree murder.

• Sept. 30 -- Charles Boling Sr., his wife, Gail, and his son, Charles Boling Jr., are found dead inside Boling Jr.'s home. Boling Jr.'s partner, Kenneth Kilgore, also is shot but recovers. Police believe Boling Sr. went to his son's home angry at his wife and shot his family before turning the gun on himself.

Marion County

• Feb. 7 -- Kenneth Hudson, 50, is found near Nick-ajack Lake shot in the back of the head. Jarrod Pickett, who was riding with Hudson in a pickup truck along with a teenage girl at the time of the shooting, is charged in the killing.

• May 1 -- Phillis Watts, 41, is killed in a crash allegedly caused by Donnie Lee Slatton, who admitted to authorities that he was chasing Watts with his car when she lost control, crashed and died. Slatton is charged with criminally negligent homicide, vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident involving death.

• June 4 -- Nicholas Scott Clayton, 20, Emily F. Clayton, 21, and Annie E. Blevins, 24, all are killed on June 4 when police say James T. Meeks III, then 18, rammed their Jeep from behind and forced them off a road on Suck Creek Mountain. The Jeep's driver, Eric D. Blevins, 37, survived. Meeks is charged with three counts of felony murder and attempted murder.

Sequatchie County

• Feb. 3 -- Clifford M. Carden Jr., 55, is shot in the head and his body dumped in the Sequatchie River. Susan Lynette Baker and Thomas Bryan Bettis, both 35, are charged in his death. Police believe the pair robbed Carden of about $1,000, took his car and medicine and went on a shopping spree.

GEORGIA

Catoosa, Chattooga and Walker counties had no homicides.

Dade County

• March 16 -- Antwane Hyatte, 36, is stabbed to death when he goes to Johnathan Ellison's home to sell him marijuana and Ecstasy, police said. Police believe Ellison and James Oglesby attacked Hyatte and fled. Ellison is convicted on multiple murder charges and sentenced to life with parole in October. James Oglesby, also charged with murder, awaits trial.

Gordon County

• Nov. 5 -- Jason Hammond, 41, is shot and killed inside his home during what police said was a drug deal. Police said Deunta Curtis, 22, Brent Carey, 28, and Claude Simpson, 33, tried to rob Hammond and shot him. All three are charged with murder and armed robbery.

Gilmer County

• Sept. 14 -- Police believe 76-year-old Donald Bossa killed his wife, Barbara, 67, then tried to cover up the killing by faking a robbery. Neighbors found Donald Bossa outside with a rope tied around his neck, but after police investigated the robbery claims, he was charged with murder.

Murray County

• March 8 -- Police believe David Graham, 39, left his car running with himself and his 3-year-old son, Easton, inside. Both die of carbon monoxide poisoning and their deaths are ruled a murder-suicide.

Whitfield County

• Sept. 7 -- Julious Wayne Smith and 14-year-old Krista Babb are shot and their bodies burned inside Smith's home. Police believe Daniel Densmore tried to rob Smith and killed both victims. Densmore is indicted on murder, robbery and arson charges. He is awaiting a competency hearing.

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