In the summer of 2021, the life of 19-year-old HJ Levi Franklin Roberts was cut short in Morristown, Tennessee. Just days after graduating from Morristown West High School on June 4, 2021, the young man was killed. He was a male known for his outgoing personality, love for hunting and fishing, and for being a friend to many. His death on June 7, 2021, sent ripples of grief through the community, leaving friends and family to mourn the sudden and violent loss of a life that had just begun its
next chapter.
The initial incident unfolded on a Monday evening, just after 7:30 p.m., at an apartment complex in the 2200 block of Morningside Drive. Reports from that time indicated that a fight broke out among several people in an apartment, leading to the discharge of firearms. During the altercation, Roberts was fatally shot, and another man, 22-year-old Luis Gaona, was injured. In the immediate aftermath, his former teachers and friends remembered him as an outspoken and friendly person who had a bright future, characterizing his death as a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. His mother, Susan Roberts, publicly lamented the devastating impact of gun violence.
However, as the Morristown police investigation progressed, a different and more complex narrative emerged. About three weeks after the shooting, authorities announced the arrests of three individuals in connection with the incident: Marcus Roberts, Hayden Vick, and an unnamed juvenile. Investigators alleged that the event was not a simple altercation, but a planned robbery. The three were accused of luring Luis Gaona to the apartment under the pretense of selling him a gun. Once Gaona was inside, they allegedly locked the door and robbed him at gunpoint, shooting him multiple times. HJ Roberts was described by police as a co-conspirator in the robbery plot who was also shot during the events. Marcus Roberts, Hayden Vick, and the juvenile turned themselves in to authorities and were charged with especially aggravated robbery.
