On New Year's Day of 2020, 33-year-old Brandon Saunders, a male of African American ethnicity, was fatally shot in his Hermitage, Tennessee, home. Initial reports suggested the possibility of a self-inflicted wound, a narrative that his family immediately questioned. Their doubts stemmed from the fact that Saunders was left-handed, yet the gunshot wound was to the right side of his head.
Remembered by loved ones as a social butterfly and a jokester with an infectious laugh, Saunders was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan who had moved to the Nashville area from Michigan and worked as a manager at RimTyme.
The investigation into Saunders' death took a turn when Metro Nashville Police re-interviewed a witness who was present at the time of the shooting. This new information led detectives to determine that the shooting was not self-inflicted. On January 16, 2020, Saunders' roommate, 23-year-old Erik Moreno, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide in connection with the fatal shooting. Investigators concluded that both Moreno and Saunders had been intoxicated and were handling pistols at the time of the incident. It was also discovered that the firearms had been moved before police arrived at the scene.
Following his arrest, Erik Moreno was held on a $250,000 bond. He was released from custody in August 2020 after posting bail. The legal proceedings in the case have faced considerable delays, partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted trials for a year. The trial was later rescheduled for September 2024, but faced further postponement due to medical issues concerning Moreno's defense counsel. Saunders' family has expressed immense frustration over the prolonged legal process and the fact that the man accused of his death has been free on bond.
