Shelby Lynn Booth

Shelby Lynn Booth, a 26-year-old White woman from Boiling Springs, South Carolina, was known by her mother as being "full of life" with a "big heart." A graduate of Dorman High School, she was on vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in the spring of 2022 with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Julian Popoca of Wellford, South Carolina.

On the afternoon of Saturday, May 7, 2022, Sevier County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at a rental cabin. The cabin was located on Caney Creek Road, in the area between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. When officers arrived shortly after 1:00 p.m., they found Shelby inside, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. Popoca was at the scene and was taken into custody by authorities.

According to an arrest affidavit, Popoca admitted to investigators that he shot Shelby several times during a verbal altercation. He also stated that he was the owner of the firearm used in the shooting. Deputies located a weapon in a holster on a bedroom nightstand, along with shell casings that matched its caliber. After her death, friends of Shelby revealed that she had previously expressed concerns about Popoca, reportedly telling one friend that if anything were to happen to her, he would likely be responsible.

Julian Popoca was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder. In October 2022, a Sevier County grand jury returned an indictment against him for the more serious charge of first-degree murder. The case went to trial, and on December 12, 2024, a jury found Popoca guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Shelby Lynn Booth. He received a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Under Tennessee law, he must serve a minimum of 51 years before he is eligible for parole.