In the late summer of 2021, the life of 22-year-old James William 'Will' Warner of Shelbyville, Tennessee, was tragically cut short. On the morning of Friday, August 13th, his body was discovered by a Metro Utilities Systems water crew at the end of 35th Avenue North in Nashville. An investigation revealed that the young man had been shot to death.
Detectives believed he had been driven to the location before the fatal shooting occurred.
The investigation into Warner's homicide quickly became intertwined with another violent crime that occurred in the early hours of the same day in nearby Bedford County. A woman, later identified as Warner's girlfriend, Hannah Grace Perryman, was shot in the head at a residence on Temple Ford Road. Perryman survived the attack and was able to call for help. Following the shooting, the suspect fled the scene in a Jeep belonging to Warner.
Authorities soon identified Samuel Earl Rich, a 25-year-old from Shelbyville, as a suspect in the attempted murder of Perryman and a person of interest in the death of Warner. It was revealed that Rich and Warner had grown up together, attending the same schools and church. After a manhunt, Rich, who was the son of a Bedford County Judge, surrendered to authorities on the evening of Sunday, August 15th.
In the months that followed, the legal process unfolded. A grand jury in Davidson County indicted Rich on multiple charges related to Warner's death, including three counts of first-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, and felon in possession of a firearm. Additionally, a Bedford County grand jury indicted him on seven counts for the attack on Perryman, including attempted first-degree murder. While awaiting trial for Warner's murder, Rich was convicted for the attempted murder of Perryman and sentenced to 59 years in prison. The trial for the murder of Will Warner was scheduled to take place in the spring of the following year.
