In the quiet town of Englewood, Tennessee, a long-simmering grudge erupted into violence on an August evening in 2014, leaving an elderly man dead in his own driveway. The victim was 80-year-old Bill Culberson, a Caucasian male, a retired businessman and Korean War veteran who was well-known and respected in his community. His life was cut short due to a business deal that had soured four decades earlier.
The chain of events that led to Culberson's death began when 78-year-old Bobby
Russell walked into the Englewood Package Store and shot the owner, Bill Haney, multiple times. Leaving Haney wounded, Russell then proceeded to Bill Culberson's home on County Road 478. There, he confronted Culberson and shot him, leaving him to die in his driveway.
A few hours after the shootings, Bobby Russell turned himself in to the authorities and confessed to both attacks. He admitted that an obsession with a 40-year-old business arrangement involving himself, Haney, and Culberson had driven him to commit the violent acts. The nature of this long-held grievance, which festered for decades, ultimately led to the tragic and senseless death of Bill Culberson.
Following his confession, Russell was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the death of Bill Culberson and attempted murder for the shooting of Bill Haney. He was subsequently held on a $150,000 bond. The violent end to a long-standing dispute sent shockwaves through the small Tennessee community, highlighting the devastating consequences of a grudge held for far too long.
