In the quiet town of Alcoa, Tennessee, the life of 52-year-old Kelly M. Brackin, a female, came to a tragic and violent end on March 1, 2019. Her death, caused by multiple gunshot wounds, would unravel a story of familial tragedy and a desperate attempt to flee from justice. The person accused of ending her life was not a stranger, but her own 18-year-old son, Johnathon A. Sellers.
The events that led to the discovery of Brackin's body began to unfold in the early morning hours.
Alcoa police officers were dispatched to her apartment for a welfare check. When their knocks went unanswered, they made entry into the residence and found her deceased. As investigators began to piece together the timeline of her death, another dramatic series of events was already in motion in a neighboring county. Her son, Johnathon A. Sellers, was leading police on a high-speed chase. The pursuit, which reportedly began as a suspected DUI, ended when Sellers' vehicle was disabled by spike strips. He then emerged from the vehicle brandishing a shotgun, which led to him being shot by officers.
Following the chase and his subsequent medical treatment, Sellers was taken into custody. The investigation quickly linked him to the death of his mother. Initially, he was charged with criminal homicide. He was held on a one million dollar bond as the community grappled with the shocking news of a son accused of murdering his mother.
As the legal process moved forward, the gravity of the charges against Sellers intensified. In December of 2019, a Blount County grand jury handed down a much more severe indictment. The initial charge was upgraded to first-degree murder, and additional charges of felony murder, especially aggravated robbery, and theft of property were also brought against him. This decision signaled the prosecutor's belief that the killing was premeditated and occurred during the commission of other serious crimes. The community was left to await the outcome of the trial, seeking closure for the violent death of Kelly Brackin.
