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Knox County Grand Jury indicts six suspects in three murder cases

The six are facing charges in murder cases that happened in Knox County between 2017 and 2019.
Credit: KCSO
Christopher Clark (top left), Joseph Bellew (top center), Elijah Dozard (top right), Bobby Hansard (bottom left), Sean Longmire (bottom center), John Taylor (bottom right)

Six men are facing charges after a Knox County Grand Jury returned indictments in three separate murder cases.

The murders happened between 2017 and 2019.

The first indictment came against  Christopher Clark in a deadly shooting that happened back in April 2017. 

Credit: KCSO
Christopher Leon Clark

Knoxville police found 34-year-old Walter Neal dead inside a home on the 1200 block of Trigg Avenue in East Knoxville. 

Officers later identified Clark as a suspect and arrested him.

Clark is set to be arraigned in court on April 24. Following the indictment, he is facing charges of first degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Another set of indictments were filed against four men taken into custody in South Knox County following a shooting on Halloween in 2018.

Credit: KCSO
Joseph Bellew (top left), Elijah Dozard (top right), Bobby Hansard (bottom left), Sean Longmire (bottom right)

Sean Longmire, Elijah Dozard, Bobby Hansard and Joseph Bellew were indicted in connection with the shooting death of 19-year-old Bryson McGrotha of Sevierville and injury of another person.

They are facing charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

A woman living at a home off Smith Lane said she saw shooters in a maroon car pull up and start shooting at her son's friends in a silver car.

According to warrants, Bellew admitted he and Hansard went to a home to conduct a $1,000 drug deal. While there, the two say they were robbed and went to a home on Smith Lane to tell them about the robbery and that the person that robbed them was on the way to purchase heroin.

When they arrived, the warrant said Hansard began shooting and saw McGrotha fall to the ground before they ran.

The final indictment came in the February 2019 shooting death of 30-year-old Kelton Crawford in Fountain City.

Credit: KSCO
John Taylor

John Taylor is accused of shooting and killing Kelton at a home at 155 Felix Road. 

According to police, Taylor had been fighting with an ex-girlfriend and had assaulted her before leaving. Crawford reportedly arrived to help her when Taylor came back.

Investigators said Taylor shot Crawford and fled before he was found at a Fountain City convenience store. 

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