On a quiet Sunday morning in December 2020, the body of 35-year-old Benny Wayne Maness, a male resident of Enville, Tennessee, was discovered in a remote area along Nolen Road. The ensuing investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Chester County Sheriff's Office would uncover a brutal and calculated crime that ended Maness's life.
It was determined that he had been shot and then run over by a vehicle.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on an acquaintance of Maness, Todd Allen Robbins, who was 32 years old at the time. Authorities learned that Robbins, who was already being sought by the United States Marshals Service on an unrelated warrant, had a desperate motive. Evidence suggested that Robbins intended to steal Maness's truck to flee to Alabama. The violent encounter saw Maness shot in the head with a handgun, pulled from the cab of his pickup truck, shot a second time, and then run over as Robbins made his escape in the stolen vehicle.
A multi-agency effort involving the Chester County Sheriff's Department, Henderson County Sheriff's Department, Hardin County Sheriff's Department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service led to Robbins's capture. He was taken into custody in Henderson County on unrelated charges just two days after the discovery of Maness's body. Subsequently, Robbins was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder in the death of Benny Wayne Maness.
In March 2023, a jury found Todd Allen Robbins guilty of both first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder. He received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Robbins also pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony, adding to his legal troubles. With five prior felony convictions and several misdemeanors on his record, the court's decision ensured he would not be a free man again, bringing a measure of justice to the family of Benny Wayne Maness and a greater sense of safety to the communities of Henderson and Chester County.
