Arrest made in fatal shooting initially labeled as self-defense
A 61-year-old Marion County, Tenn., homeowner has been charged in what in January was called a self-defense shooting that left a 25-year-old man dead.
Johnny Watts, of Dancing Fern Lane, just north of the tiny town of Sequatchie, was arrested Tuesday in the New Year’s Day shooting of Brandon Shrum, according to records in Marion County Circuit Criminal Court. Grand jurors there met earlier this week. Watts was booked on an original grand jury indictment charging him with reckless homicide.
Watts made a $15,000 bond on Wednesday and faces an arraignment in Circuit Court on April 16 before Judge Curtis Smith, Circuit Court officials said. The prosecuting officer is listed as Doug Henderson, the indictment states.
A phone number could not be found for Watts and court officials said he doesn’t yet have an attorney on record. Legal representation will be dealt with at the arraignment, officials said.
Marion County Sheriff Ronnie “Bo” Burnett said in January that investigators felt circumstances appeared to show the shooting was in self defense. But Burnett also said at the time that the evidence gathered in the case would be presented to an upcoming grand jury for a determination.
“That was what Mr. Watts was claiming was self-defense,” Burnett said on Thursday. “But we gathered all the physical evidence collected by my department and the TBI. The grand jury didn’t agree with self-defense.”
Burnett said in January that there had been “bad blood” between the two men.
During the initial investigation, Burnett said Shrum had been staying at a residence near Watt’s home on Dancing Fern Road. Shrum had gone to Watts’ home around 10 p.m. New Year’s Day and was beating on the walls of his home with a shovel and making threats, Burnett told the Times Free Press in January.
Authorities never said if they knew what triggered the altercation.
“At some point they have a confrontation and Mr. Watts said Mr. Shrum had a shovel and at one point [Watts] felt threatened and he used deadly force to protect himself,” Burnett said at the time. The weapon used was a 9 mm pistol.
Watts had been cooperative and participated in an interview, the sheriff said in January.
Watts was taken into custody at 6 a.m. Tuesday at his home, Burnett said this week.
“Officers did a good job of investigating,” he said. “They presented the facts to the grand jury and we abide by what the grand jury says.”
Twelfth Judicial District Attorney General Mike Taylor said Thursday that he “can’t talk about the action of the grand jury,” but added, “We’ll proceed with the case just like we would with any other case.”
According to Tennessee law, reckless homicide is a class D felony carrying a possible sentence of two to 12 years, depending on whether the defendant qualifies as a Range I, II or III offender.
If convicted of a reckless homicide charge, the sentence for a defendant with no qualifying prior criminal history, “would be a range of two to four years,” Taylor said.