KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An East Tennessee man who admitted shooting and killing his uncle in 2022 will spend six years on probation in a case even the judge acknowledged Thursday was highly unusual.
When he was 17, Thomas Harper walked over to Tim Mosley's nearby West Knox County house in January 2022 and shot and killed him with a rifle. He'd later tell authorities that Mosley had sexually abused four children -- and Harper had decided it was time to act.
Harper, originally charged with murder, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, a much lower felony. By agreement with prosecutors, he faced six years of punishment.
The question Thursday was whether he'd get judicial diversion, which would give him a chance one day to wipe his record clean, erasing any legal trace of what he'd done.
Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword heard from Mosley's family and well as evidence meant to support Harper.
The victim's son, Paul, told Sword that Mosley was his closest confidante, mentor and friend. Others said while Mosley had his faults, he didn't deserve to be shot to death.
Authorities investigated the abuse allegations but didn't charge Mosley, Thursday's hearing showed.
One of the alleged victims told Sword she lived in fear because Mosley moved back to her neighborhood after the abuse and lived just 75 feet away from her.
Harper also addressed the court.
He agreed Mosley was his uncle, but he also called him "a monster." Harper said he was sorry for killing him and would take it back if he could.
The judge said the circumstances were unusual, including the shooter's youth. Very few cases compare to Harper's, he said.
But, given the facts, it's most likely a jury would have either found Harper guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter or would have just ended hopelessly deadlocked, Sword said.
Harper has already served about eight months in custody, and he ended up being transferred from juvenile court to face prosecution in the Criminal Court system.
Sword ruled that the young man should spend a year on "enhanced" probation, followed by five years on regular probation.
The judge also said he'd grant Harper's request to be put on judicial diversion. But it'll be a lot longer term than six years.
After 15 years, Harper will formally be able to wipe the conviction from his record, the judge ruled. Until then, however, it'll be there for the public to see.