KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A West Knox County 17-year-old is the latest teen to face a murder charge in Knox County Juvenile Court.
Thomas Harper is accused of killing his uncle, Timothy Wayne "Tim" Mosley, about 1:40 a.m. Jan. 31 after knocking on his West Knox County door. They lived next door to each other in the 9000 block of Neely Lane.
Court papers don't state why Harper decided to shoot Mosley with a rifle. A petition states he was "upset" with him and told his brother that "he was going to kill the victim."
Some 30-45 minutes after making that statement, according to a juvenile petition, Harper went next door to his uncle's home with the rifle, knocked on the door, shot Mosley two times and then fled.
When Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived, they found that Mosley had died.
"(Harper) called his father after the shooting, and his father assisted officers in locating and apprehending the defendant," the petition states.
Harper turns 18 in July.
WBIR is naming him because of the severity of the crime.
The Knox County court system has seen an uptick in the last 12 to 18 months in teens facing prosecution for homicides including murder.
Last week, Knox County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin ruled that 15-year-old Rashan Jordan of Knoxville should be transferred to adult court to be tried in the February 2021 killing of 16-year-old Stanley Freeman Jr. as Freeman was leaving Austin-East High School.
Jordan's co-defendant, Deondre Davis, 17, is set to face a similar transfer hearing this month before Irwin.
Jordan was 14 and Davis 16 when authorities say they killed Freeman.
Knox County prosecutors have not said yet if they'll seek to transfer Harper to Knox County Criminal Court rather than allow him to remain under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court system. Juvenile Court authorities can keep watch over a teen until age 19.
Mosley's obituary said he was "a gentle and loving man who adored his family. He was passionate about UT sports, claiming his blood ran orange despite being born in Ohio. He was an expert concrete finisher, a weekend fisher, and a spontaneous car ride adventurer. He enjoyed getting the best deals he could at flea markets, playing D&D with his son and daughter, and sharing candy with his grandbabies. He had a great passion for a variety of music and always had music playing wherever he went. He wanted his family to know, more than anything, that he loved them more than anything, despite circumstances keeping him away at times."