In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Knoxville, Tennessee, a chain of violent events unfolded that would end the life of 55-year-old Mildred 'Millie' Blackwell. On March 8, 2020, police were first called to the area of Division Street and Liberty Street around 4:38 a.m., where they discovered the body of a woman in the road who had been shot multiple times. This initial discovery led investigators to a home on Trousdale Road, where the full scope of the tragedy became apparent.
Inside the residence, officers found two more women who had been fatally shot. They were identified as Mildred Blackwell and her roommate, 57-year-old Barbara Rogers. The victim found earlier in the street was identified as Blackwell's 29-year-old daughter, Juliana White. All three women were residents of Knoxville. The investigation soon revealed that the victims and the suspect were known to each other.
The suspect, 24-year-old Desmon Rhea, was located at a residence on Burbury Lane and taken into custody without incident later that same day. Investigators determined that Rhea had been living in the Trousdale Road home with White, his girlfriend, in the basement, while Blackwell and Rogers lived upstairs. On the night of the murders, fueled by meth, Rhea first shot and killed Juliana White while they were driving in her rental car. He then left her body in the street and proceeded to the Trousdale Road home.
Once at the house, Rhea shot and killed his girlfriend's mother, Mildred Blackwell, while she was asleep in her bedroom. He also fatally shot Barbara Rogers, who was awakened by the gunfire and attempted to call 911 before Rhea forced his way into her room and shot her. In April 2023, a Knox County jury found Desmon Rhea guilty of the first-degree murders of Mildred Blackwell and Barbara Rogers, and the second-degree murder of Juliana White. For the murders of Blackwell and Rogers, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
