In the fall of 2015, the life of 25-year-old Tyler Andrew Worth of Cleveland, Tennessee, was tragically cut short in a harrowing tale of betrayal and violence. What began as a missing person report on October 15, 2015, unraveled into a grim homicide investigation that exposed a dark underside of stolen property and drugs. The young man's body was discovered in a remote area of Polk County, wrapped in a tarp and discarded in the trunk of a car, leading authorities on a multi-county investigation. An autopsy would later confirm that Worth had been shot three times in the back.
The investigation into Worth's death quickly led to the identification of five individuals believed to be involved. The alleged shooter was identified as Jody Alan Hughes. His wife, Ashley Hughes, also known as Ashley Rutledge, along with Richard Leroy Jerger, Gus Roy Hawkins, Jr., and Jeffery Todd Crumley were also implicated in the crime. The motive for the murder was reportedly a dispute over stolen property. According to investigators, the group had been together on Sunday, October 11, 2015, when the events leading to Worth's death began to unfold.
According to witness testimony, Jody Hughes, armed with a handgun, drove the group, including Tyler Worth, to a secluded dirt road. There, Hughes allegedly ordered Worth, Jerger, and Hawkins out of the vehicle and patted them down. As Worth attempted to flee, Hughes is said to have shot him multiple times. Following the shooting, Hughes reportedly coerced Jerger and Hawkins into helping him wrap Worth's body in a tarp and move it into a wooded area. The group then transported his body to Polk County where it was later discovered by law enforcement, after Jeffery Crumley led them to the location. Gus Hawkins Jr., who was initially on the run, was apprehended at a car wash.
The legal proceedings that followed saw Jody Alan Hughes facing the most severe charges. In a 2021 appeal, it was confirmed that a Bradley County Criminal Court jury had convicted him of first-degree premeditated murder, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence. He received a sentence of life in prison plus fourteen years for his role in the murder of Tyler Worth. While the initial indictment charged Ashley Hughes with facilitation of first-degree premeditated murder, and Crumley, Hawkins, and Jerger with being accessories after the fact, as well as all with conspiracy to tamper with evidence and tampering with evidence, the specific final outcomes of their cases are not as widely publicized. However, legal documents do indicate that Richard L. Jerger, Jr. later had his probation revoked on separate matters and was ordered to serve the remainder of a six-year sentence. The ultimate legal resolutions for Ashley Hughes, Gus Hawkins Jr., and Jeffery Crumley in direct relation to the murder of Tyler Worth remain less clear.
