Timothy Vincent Norris, 49, of Cashiers, North Carolina, was found shot to death in his home on February 3, 2016. A lifelong Jackson County resident known as The Gentle Giant, he was born June 28, 1966, to Jackie C. Norris and Donna Jean Houston and remembered by family for his strong Christian faith.

Investigators arrested his stepson, Thomas Glen Palmer Jr., on a charge of first-degree murder. Palmer had previously lived with Norris but reportedly was asked to leave over suspected drug use and not keeping promises to work and find his own place; he was not living with Norris at the time of the killing. Palmer was apprehended in Wilkes County, Georgia, where he also was a suspect in an armed robbery, and police said there was substantial evidence leading to his arrest.

Family members, including brother David Norris and sister-in-law Tammy Nations Norris, described deep grief and a sense of betrayal, noting Palmer even served as a pallbearer at the funeral. Does anyone have information about Norris’s final days or his connections in the Cashiers area that could shed light on what happened?