In the early hours of May 23, 2017, the life of 38-year-old Eric Allen, a Black male, was tragically cut short in a violent encounter in Nashville, Tennessee. The incident, which also resulted in the death of 22-year-old Brandon Jordan, unfolded at an apartment complex in the James Cayce Homes of East Nashville. Responding to a call, Metro Police officers discovered a grim scene.
Jordan was found deceased on the ground near the apartment's porch, having sustained a gunshot wound to his upper torso. Allen, who resided at the apartment, was discovered in the doorway with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest. He was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly pointed towards robbery as the motive. Within weeks, law enforcement officials made significant progress in the case, leading to the indictment of three individuals. The Davidson County grand jury brought charges against 28-year-old Tramell R. Sparkman of Columbia, Tennessee. He was taken into custody in Spring Hill following the indictment.
Further investigation led to the implication of two women in connection with the murders. Taylor Roberts, 19 years old at the time, was arrested in Maury County. The grand jury indicted her on two counts of felony murder and two counts of robbery. The third suspect, 20-year-old Shakiria Webster, was also indicted on the same charges. At the time of her indictment for the murders of Allen and Jordan, Webster was already incarcerated in Sumner County on unrelated charges. The charges against all three suspects painted a picture of a robbery that escalated into a fatal shooting, ending the lives of two men. In addition to the murder charges, Sparkman also faced accusations of an attempted burglary on the same day as the shootings and for allegedly shooting another man the following day.
