In the wooded hills of Beersheba Springs, Tennessee, a hunting trip ended in tragedy, forever altering the lives of two men. On September 27, 2015, 44-year-old Chad Killian, a White male, was shot while reportedly hunting with a companion. The injuries he sustained in the remote area adjacent to 920 Northcutts Cove Road proved to be fatal, and he passed away later that day.
Killian, a resident of the nearby community of Altamont, was a logging equipment operator and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He left behind a wife, two sons, his mother, and several siblings.
The initial reports described the event as a hunting accident. However, as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Grundy County Sheriff's Office delved deeper into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, a different narrative began to emerge. Investigators determined that the man hunting with Killian, Robin Smartt Jr., was responsible for his death. This led to a more thorough investigation into the events that transpired in the woods that day, shifting the focus from a tragic accident to a potential criminal act.
Following the investigation, the case was presented to the Grundy County Grand Jury. In November 2015, Robin Smartt Jr., who was 45 years old at the time, was indicted on charges of reckless homicide and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Grundy County Jail, where he was held without bond. The indictment and arrest brought a measure of resolution to the community, though the profound loss of Chad Killian continues to be felt by his family and friends.
