In the quiet community of Whitleyville, Tennessee, the life of 11-year-old Harley Jewel Rena Evans, a young female, was tragically cut short in an act of violence that also wounded her father and his girlfriend. On the morning of October 29, 2018, a school bus driver on North Fork Road encountered a deeply distressing scene. An uninjured child ran towards the bus, followed by a woman suffering from a gunshot wound.
The bus driver quickly took them both on board and drove to the Mount Vernon Fire Department to seek help. This encounter would soon unravel a grim situation back at the family’s residence.
When Clay County deputies arrived at the home, they discovered Harley Evans deceased. Her father, Justin Evans, was also found with serious injuries. Both he and his girlfriend were airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital for treatment. The investigation into the horrific event pointed to a man who had been staying on the property and performing work for the family.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified Jacob Stanley Snyder as the suspect in the shooting death of the young girl. After attempting to evade law enforcement, Snyder was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, with his bond set at $2 million. The charges against him would later be amended to include the attempted murder of a third individual.
In May 2019, Jacob Stanley Snyder, then 30 years old, appeared in a Clay County courtroom and pleaded guilty to the premeditated first-degree murder of Harley Evans. He also admitted his guilt on three counts of attempted murder for the attacks on Harley's 10-year-old sister, her father Justin Evans, and Kelsey Rhoton. For his crimes, Snyder was sentenced to life in prison for the murder charge, with an additional 33 years for each count of attempted murder, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life incarcerated.
