Man sentenced to life in prison after January 2022 murder in North Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Johnny Robert McBee has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing a man in January 2022 following an argument earlier in the day.

McBee, 61, has been convicted of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon and sentenced to life in the Tennessee Department of Correction. During the trial, Assistant District Attorneys Rachel Hill and Danielle Jones broke down what happened on January 30, 2022, that left Jerome Nance, 42, dead .

According to the district attorney’s office, investigators found that McBee and Nance had been in an argument earlier in the day and McBee said that he was going to get a gun and kill the victim. Later in the day, both men arrived at 930 Atlantic Avenue and McBee exited his vehicle with a revolver according to the DA. When Nance left his vehicle, McBee fired three shots, killing him.

A release from the DA said that the defense argues that “the revolver accidentally discharged three times, but the jury ultimately found McBee guilty as charged.”

“This is another senseless loss of life where a verbal argument escalated because a career criminal pulled a gun,” said DA Charme Allen.

The DA’s Office explained that under Tennessee law, McBee must serve 51 years in prison before he is eligible to meet with the parole board. The release adds that McBee has six prior felonies from the 1980s for armed robbery, assault with intent to murder, and other burglary offenses.

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