Marcus Smith Jr.

Marcus Smith Jr., a 21-year-old Black man, was found dead on August 23, 2021, inside a residence on Wilbur Nelson Road in Milan, Tennessee. The grim discovery also included the body of 20-year-old Diamond Love, who lived in the home. An investigation determined that both had been fatally shot.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Gibson County Sheriff's Office launched a joint investigation into the double homicide. As detectives examined the case, their focus turned toward Diamond Love's former boyfriend, Frederick Yates Jr. Investigators developed information identifying him as the person responsible for the deaths and secured arrest warrants.

With assistance from the United States Marshals Service, authorities located and arrested Yates in Ringgold, Georgia. On October 15, 2021, a Gibson County Grand Jury returned a 12-count indictment against him. The charges included two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of felony murder, especially aggravated burglary, two counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, two counts of facilitation of first-degree murder, and tampering with evidence.

In September 2025, Yates faced a three-day jury trial in Gibson County Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Clayburn Peeples. The jury found him guilty on all counts for the murders of Marcus Smith Jr. and Diamond Love. In January 2026, a judge sentenced Yates to serve two consecutive life sentences plus an additional 18 years, totaling 138 years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

Following his conviction, Yates filed a motion for a new trial. However, in April 2026, the court denied the motion and affirmed the jury's verdict, finding the proof sufficient to support the guilty findings on all counts. District Attorney General Frederick H. Agee stated that Yates would spend the rest of his life in prison for his violent crimes.