In the winter of 2017, the life of 69-year-old James E. Kleinert, a male resident of Hendersonville, Tennessee, came to a tragic and violent end. On the evening of December 26th, Kleinert arranged to meet individuals in Nashville regarding the sale of a car. This meeting, however, was a ruse for a more sinister purpose. Kleinert was last seen at a Dollar General on Old Hickory Boulevard and Clarksville Pike, where he reportedly got into a minivan to complete what he believed to be a legitimate
transaction. Inside the vehicle, the situation turned into a deadly robbery.
The following morning, on December 27, 2017, a passerby discovered Kleinert's body on the side of the secluded Bear Hollow Road in Joelton. He had sustained a single gunshot wound. The significant amount of cash, estimated to be between $4,000 and $7,000, that he was carrying for the car purchase was missing. The discovery of his body launched a homicide investigation by the Metro Nashville Police Department, who quickly suspected foul play due to the circumstances of his disappearance and death.
The investigation led to the identification of two suspects: Bobby V. Summers and his accomplice, James O'Brien. It was determined that Summers and O'Brien had orchestrated the meeting with Kleinert under the pretense of a car sale with the intent to rob him. During the course of the robbery, Kleinert was shot and killed. Subsequently, Bobby V. Summers was indicted on multiple charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, especially aggravated robbery, and tampering with evidence.
In a turn of events, before the case could proceed to a full trial, James O'Brien, the second individual involved in the crime, died of causes unrelated to the homicide investigation. Faced with the evidence against him, Bobby V. Summers entered into a negotiated plea agreement. On August 19, 2019, he pleaded guilty to the lesser-included offense of facilitation of first-degree premeditated murder. As a result of his plea, the remaining charges against him were dismissed. Summers was sentenced to twenty years in prison. In the years following his conviction, he has made several unsuccessful attempts to appeal his case.
