KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A man who shot someone three times and then claimed his revolver accidentally discharged was sentenced to life on Thursday, the Knox County District Attorney General's Office said.
Johnny Robert McBee and the victim got into an argument about the victim dating McBee's niece on January 30, 2022, according to the DA.
McBee said he would get a gun and kill the victim. When both he and the victim arrived at 930 Atlantic Avenue, McBee got out of his car with a revolver, the DA said.
When the victim got out of his car, McBee shot him three times and killed him, according to the DA.
The jury found McBee guilty of first-degree murder and the unlawful possession of a weapon, the DA said.
McBee has six prior felonies from the 1980s for armed robbery, assault with intent to murder and burglary offenses, according to the DA.
"This is another senseless loss of life where a verbal argument escalated because a career criminal pulled a gun,” DA Charme Allen said.
Under Tennessee law, a life sentence means that McBee has to serve 51 years in prison before he's eligible to meet with a parole board.