Man charged in Bartlett domestic violence homicide
Police have charged a Bartlett man with first-degree murder in the death of a woman on Friday.
Robert Massengill, 73, remained in the Bartlett city jail on Sunday. He is being held on a $1 million bond, according to the jail.
The victim’s name has not been released pending notification of family members, police Capt.Tina Schaber said. But police have characterized the homicide as domestic violence and said Friday the victim’s boyfriend was in custody.
Officers responded Friday to the 4400 block of Glenchase Drive in the Bristol Glen subdivision, where they discovered the female victim had been shot. She was transported to Regional One Hospital in critical condition but did not survive.
The home belongs to Masengill, according to the property assessor’s website. Neighbors said they did not know much about him and described him as “reclusive.” They said police had not been to the house before.
No one answered the door at the house Sunday afternoon, but a white van was parked in the driveway and what appeared to be an RV behind the fence.
Sunday was a quiet day in the neighborhood, with a few neighbors touching up their lawns to match the other wellkept yards.
“It’s a pretty quiet subdivision,” Stan McKinney, a neighbor, said.
He said he was surprised when his neighbor told him about the crime.
The murder was at least the second reported domestic violence-related homicide in Shelby County in the last two weeks.
On July 21, two people were shot and killed in the 2300 block of Hawkins Mill. The suspect in the shooting was married to the female victim, according to Memphis Police.
Police issued a warrant for two counts of first-degree murder against Markese Gibbs. He was taken into custody in Milwaukee.
Reach Jennifer Pignolet at jennifer.pignolet@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @JenPignolet.
Jennifer Pignolet and Abigail Warren