In the quiet community of Christiana, Tennessee, the life of 58-year-old Clarence 'Bluker' Rowden III was brought to a sudden and violent end on July 6, 2022. A recent retiree from Nissan after 38 years of service, Rowden was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather known for his love of street rods and his willingness to help friends with their cars.
He was a man described as generous and hardworking, who cherished his family and his faith.
On that tragic day, outside of his own home on Panther Creek Road, Rowden was shot multiple times. His wife placed a frantic call to 911 after the shooting. When Rutherford County Sheriff's deputies and paramedics arrived, they found Rowden grievously wounded. Despite their life-saving efforts, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The man responsible for the shooting, Rowden's neighbor Jeffery Hayden Burris, who was 54 at the time, remained at the scene and was immediately detained by the responding officers. Burris, who lived just a few houses down Panther Creek Road, was taken into custody and subsequently charged with first-degree murder. Investigators determined that Burris was the sole suspect in the shooting, though a definitive motive was not publicly released.
Following his arrest, Burris's case was bound over to the Rutherford County Grand Jury. While a trial was anticipated, it never came to pass. Instead, Jeffery Hayden Burris pleaded guilty to the murder of his neighbor. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment that will see him behind bars until 2041, at which time he will be 73 years old. He is serving his sentence at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville, Tennessee.
