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'They were just shaken': Mom speaks after deputies say her 2 teen sons were held at gunpoint, tied up in bathroom as man ransacked home

According to the arrest report, the boys recognized the man -- saying he briefly lived at the home before being kicked out by their mother for stealing.

WALLAND, Tenn. — A Lenoir City man accused of tying two teens up in the bathroom of their Walland home and stealing thousands of dollars worth of electronics and lawn equipment is in custody, according to the Blount County Sheriff's Office.

The BCSO said 35-year-old Michael Murrell of Lenoir City is suspected of burglary, robbery, and weapons law violations.

According to the arrest report, a woman called 911 around 7:30 a.m. on January 4 saying someone had broken into her neighbors' home on Winchester Drive and tied up two teen boys in the bathroom before ransacking the home.

When they arrived, deputies spoke to the two boys and their mother, Juanita Hartley, on the neighbor's front porch. The boys, age 14 and 15, told deputies they ran to their neighbor's house to get help after a man chased them, held a gun to one of their heads, and tied them up in the bathroom.

One teen told deputies he was in his bedroom around 6:45 a.m. when he heard a loud banging outside his bedroom window.

One of the boys went outside to investigate the noise and said they were confronted and chased by a man carrying what looked to be a handgun while wearing a camo hoodie and a black face covering. The BCSO said they later discovered the weapon was a BB gun, according to the report.

The boy said the suspect got into the home, saying the man grabbed him when he tried to run out the front door.

The suspect then put the gun to the boy's head and told both of them to go into the bathroom, where they said they were tied up with a rope before the door was closed. 

One of the boys was able to free his hands, according to the incident report. The two waited for roughly an hour after hearing the suspect leave before leaving the bathroom and running to their neighbor's house for help.

Hartley said her sons are still living in fear, shaken by the incident weeks later.

"They used to all the time come out and go play, and they don't want to do that anymore. They they just, they're inside. They sleep with a baseball bat, near 'em... between them, basically," she said. "It's gonna take a long time for 'em to get back to just feeling comfortable or safe. I mean, in their own home."

According to the report, the suspect stole thousands of dollars worth of electronics, lawn equipment, and a racing suit. 

The boys told deputies they believed the suspect was Murrell because they knew him, saying they recognized his voice and the camo hoodie the suspect was wearing. 

Credit: BCSO

Deputies said Murrell was a nephew-in-law to the boys' mother, saying he lived at their home for a short time until November 2021.

Hartley told deputies she had asked Murrell to leave the home after he was caught stealing from her, saying she also had videos of him stealing a couple of times. A report had been filed with the sheriff's office.

Deputies said when they went inside the home, they found a black rope on the bathroom floor where the boys were held and said every room had been ransacked. The woman told deputies the DVR box for the camera system had also been stolen.

Investigators also found footprints in the backyard and a different set of boot prints where a silver vehicle involved in the incident was said to have been parked.

Deputies listed a second suspect, a 17-year-old boy, in the incident report, but are not identifying them and did not list if he was charged. Deputies said the teen suspect was identified based on the boys' statements -- saying they told them the 17-year-old was known to drive the silver car they recognized during the incident.

The BCSO issued a warrant for Murrell's arrest, and he was later taken into custody in Knox County before being transported to the Blount County Jail. He appeared over a virtual call in court for the first time on Jan. 26.

"I'm thankful to God that it didn't turn out any worse," Hartley said.

    

   

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