An 18-year-old male from Michigan, Jaloen Morris, was fatally shot on June 22, 2017, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Morris, along with another 18-year-old, Sergio Rivera, had traveled to Knoxville to allegedly purchase high-grade marijuana. The transaction was arranged to take place at the Montgomery Village Apartments in South Knoxville.
Upon their arrival, while sitting in a minivan, Morris and Rivera were ambushed.
A third individual, a 16-year-old from Knoxville named Damien Lee, was also in the vehicle and sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the attack. Both Jaloen Morris and Sergio Rivera died from their gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly identified two teenage suspects: 15-year-old Rico 'Little Rico' Cook and 17-year-old Deon Nolbert. Nolbert was apprehended and placed in a juvenile detention center. Three days after the shooting, Cook turned himself in to the authorities. A third person, 23-year-old Kristopher Johnson, was later charged in connection with the murders and robbery while he was already incarcerated for an unrelated case.
Both Cook and Nolbert were transferred from juvenile court to be tried as adults in Knox County Criminal Court. In October 2019, Rico Cook, who was considered the leader in the killings, was convicted on two counts of felony murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder, among other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 18 years. Deon Nolbert was convicted of facilitation to commit felony murder and received a 20-year sentence.
