In the late hours of a Tuesday in Rockwood, Tennessee, the life of 19-year-old George Fleagle II was tragically cut short. On August 27, 2019, inside a residence on South Ridge Avenue, what began as a gathering of young adults descended into a fatal game of 'Russian roulette.' Just after midnight, police responded to a call and discovered Fleagle on the living room floor with a gunshot wound.
Despite their attempts at CPR, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation, conducted by the Rockwood Police Department with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, quickly identified a suspect among the several other young adults present at the time of the shooting. Dorian Heiss, who was 18 years old at the time, was taken into custody the following day. Witnesses recounted a chilling story of Heiss handling a five-shot revolver and suggesting a game of Russian roulette. Another individual at the gathering reportedly responded jokingly, 'Let's play.'
According to witness statements, Heiss proceeded to empty all but one or two rounds from the cylinder of the revolver. He then aimed and dry-fired the weapon at four other people in the room. One witness stated that Heiss even pointed the gun at his own head before spinning the cylinder one last time, aiming at Fleagle, and pulling the trigger. A single bullet struck Fleagle in the chest near his heart, resulting in his death. The revolver was found on an ottoman in the living room, with four unfired rounds and a single spent cartridge nearby.
During an interview with a TBI agent, Heiss confessed to shooting Fleagle and to dry-firing the weapon at him and another witness. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and four counts of reckless endangerment. After his arrest, Heiss was released on a $150,000 bond with several pre-trial conditions, including GPS monitoring and no contact with the victims. In March 2022, a Roane County jury found Dorian Heiss guilty of second-degree murder. His sentencing was set for July of that year, and he faced up to 25 years in prison for the murder charge.
