In the summer of 2018, a dispute between a landlord and his tenant in Athens, Tennessee, escalated to a fatal conclusion, leaving a 60-year-old woman dead and her landlord facing a murder charge. The victim, Kathleen McKee, a resident of Athens, was shot and killed on the evening of Thursday, July 12, 2018.
Deputies from the McMinn County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about an argument at a home on County Road 652.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Kathleen McKee's body, bearing a fatal gunshot wound. The investigation quickly identified her landlord, 77-year-old Charles Ward, as the alleged shooter.
According to the sheriff, Ward and McKee had been embroiled in an argument prior to the shooting. This was not the first instance of conflict between the two, as law enforcement had been called to the property on previous occasions due to disagreements and accusations of theft between them. McKee had been renting the home from Ward for about a year before the fatal encounter.
In the wake of the shooting, Charles Ward was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. He was booked into the McMinn County Jail with a bond set at $200,000 and awaited his arraignment. The incident, as described by the sheriff, was a tragic outcome with no winners, leaving a lasting negative impact on the community and the families involved. A memorial service for Kathleen McKee was later held on July 28, 2018, at the Miracle Deliverance Tabernacle in Riceville.
