In the early morning hours of July 13, 2019, a dispute outside a business on Highway 41 in Jasper, Tennessee, tragically cut short the life of 30-year-old Timothy Matthew Shirley. A resident of Jasper, Shirley was a white male who was well-known and respected within his community. Following his graduation from Marion County High School in 2008, he served his country for eight years in the United States Navy before returning to his hometown.
At the time of his death, he was employed as a machinist in nearby Chattanooga.
An altercation that Saturday morning escalated to a fatal point when Benjamin Desrosier, then 35, of Kimball, Tennessee, fatally shot Shirley. The incident prompted a joint investigation involving the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Jasper Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff's Office, and the 12th Judicial District Drug Task Force. The investigation swiftly led to the identification and arrest of Desrosier on the same day as the shooting.
Benjamin Desrosier was taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide for his role in Timothy Shirley's death. He was subsequently booked into the Marion County Jail. The case then began its journey through the legal system, with court proceedings to follow to determine the full extent of Desrosier's accountability for the events that transpired on that summer morning. Information regarding a trial, conviction, or sentencing has not been made publicly available. The community was left to await justice for a man remembered for his kind nature and love for life, whose death left a significant void in the lives of his family and friends.
