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Ex-boyfriend arraigned in court, charged with murdering Desheena Kyle after police found her body

Kyle's death was ruled a homicide in September, but KPD said her exact cause of death hasn't been determined.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Update (10/15/21): John Bassett, Desheena Kyle's ex-boyfriend who was named as a person of interest in her months-long disappearance, was arraigned in court on Friday and formerly charged with her murder.

Bassett has several preliminary court hearings scheduled on November 16 and 19 for other drug and firearm-related charges from a prior arrest in July.

The Knoxville Police Department announced on October 7 the 29-year-old Knoxville man had been indicted by a Knox County Grand Jury for first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.

Bassett has been in custody at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility ever since he was arrested at his home on Ohio Avenue on July 7 for a probation violation warrant. He is being held on a $500,000 bond.

KPD said his indictment is the result of a months-long investigation into Kyle's disappearance, who was reported missing at her apartment on 1307 Wilson Road on June 28. 

John Bassett Indicted for Murder of Desheena Kyle ---- John Bassett, 29 of Knoxville, Tennessee, has been indicted by...

Posted by Knoxville Police Department - TN on Thursday, October 7, 2021

In late September, officers found Kyle's body at a home in the 6900 block of Sam Tillery Road in North Knoxville, saying they were following a lead into her disappearance developed through evidence. Her family said the home belonged to a relative of Bassett. 

Kyle's death was ruled a homicide, but KPD said her exact cause of death hasn't been determined. 

“This morning, I was thinking about that. I'm never gonna get to talk to her. What am I gonna do without her?” Kyle's grandmother Betty Deas said.

She said they never thought they'd be here, and said the thought of losing Kyle is "unimaginable."

“It's just so hard to talk about her like she's gone. I mean, that's extremely hard for me to talk about her in the past. It's like she's gone,” Deas said. “I cannot believe that this has happened. This is so senseless…It just hurts so bad to know that Desheena is gone. She should be here.”

After Bassett was arrested, police said that additional drug and weapon charges were placed on him. Court records also show that Bassett was previously charged with domestic assault against Kyle in 2014 after he got into an argument with her.

Authorities said they searched for Kyle for hundreds of hours, interviewing possible witnesses and following up on several leads. The Special Crimes, Violent Crimes, Organized Crime and Internet Crimes Against Children units are involved in the investigation, they said.

“The KPD has never tired on this case and will continue to work vigorously to find Desheena,” Chief of Police Eve Thomas said in a release. “We have developed significant leads and made substantial progress on this case. We have also received numerous tips on the case, and we know that there are people still out there who have answers. We ask anyone who has information that could assist investigators to please come forward.”

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