The State of Tennessee has decided to actively seek the death penalty in the case against Kenneth Wayne DeHart Jr., accused of the fatal shooting of Blount County Deputy Greg McCowan and the wounding of Deputy Shelby Eggers during a traffic stop on February 8. Documents filed in Blount County confirm the state's intention to argue for capital punishment, as well as life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, as reported by WATE.
Kenneth DeHart was apprehended after a five-day manhunt and he now faces 21 charges, which include the premeditated first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer. According to the details revealed by the Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond, "It was his decision to refuse those requests 37 times that led to us being here today, your honor, and you do not point a gun at two individuals and pull the trigger six times unless you intend to kill them," WBIR reported.
This case has drawn a stark response from Blount County Sheriff James Berrong, who promptly called for the death penalty shortly after DeHart's arrest. "You do not point a gun at a man lying helpless on the ground and pull the trigger unless you intend to kill him," DA Desmond communicated firmly in a quote from a February hearing obtained by WBIR. The case develops amid Tennessee's bleak roster of nearly 50 people sentenced to death row, with more than two dozen from East Tennessee alone.
Moving forward, DeHart’s defense attorney, Stephen Ross Johnson, has filed a motion contesting the constitutional and procedural sufficiency of DeHart's preliminary hearing and his inability to adequately prepare his defense. "Johnson claimed in the filing that DeHart had requested to attain his own counsel, but was not given enough time between his arrest and his preliminary hearing to do so. Johnson said it cost DeHart the chance to adequately seek bail and “move to suppress unconstitutionally obtained evidence,” WVLT reported. This claim illuminates a potential battle over procedural fairness as the case proceeds to trial.
Alongside DeHart, others connected with the case include his girlfriend, Carrie Matthews, his brother Marcus DeHart, and Maurice Warren, all charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly assisting in DeHart's evasion from law enforcement. Matthews is set for a court appearance on September 23. The nature of the charges suggests a widening net as authorities work to address not just the immediate act but the support system that abetted DeHart's flight following the tragedy, as substantiated by WATE.
