In the early morning hours of November 3, 2017, the life of 21-year-old Ashley Grooms, a female resident of Camden, Tennessee, was tragically cut short in her own home. A frantic 911 call made by Ashley herself alerted authorities to the unfolding horror on Jayson Street. In the background of the call, dispatchers could hear the chilling sounds of a gun firing and a baby crying, prompting an immediate police response.
Upon their arrival, officers discovered a chaotic and devastating
scene. Ashley Grooms was found deceased inside the residence, a victim of gun violence. Her husband, 24-year-old Derek Grooms, was present and described as acting erratically. Investigators determined that several rounds from a high-powered rifle had been discharged within the home. Miraculously, the couple's 14-month-old child, who was also in the house at the time of the shooting, was physically unharmed. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist the Benton County Sheriff's Department with the homicide investigation.
Derek Grooms was immediately identified as a person of interest and was initially arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon. As the investigation swiftly progressed, the charges against him escalated. The following day, he was charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, Ashley. Subsequent charges included felony murder, aggravated child abuse, and possession of methamphetamine. His bond was set at $1 million. The community mourned the loss of the young mother, who was remembered as a homemaker and a member of the Holladay Community Church.
The legal proceedings that followed took several turns. Derek Grooms remained in custody, with his bond being revised at different points. In a contentious decision in June 2021, a retired judge significantly lowered his bond to $50,000, allowing for his release while he awaited a trial that had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, his freedom was short-lived. In January 2022, he was arrested again on new charges of domestic assault in a neighboring county. Following this new arrest, a judge revoked his bond in the Benton County murder case, and he was sent back to jail to await trial for the killing of his wife.
