In a tragic turn of events on the evening of May 7, 2014, James Earl Chase Hoover, a 31-year-old man, lost his life in his Lebanon, Tennessee, home. A graduate of Lebanon High School's class of 2002, the former construction worker's life was cut short during a violent altercation with his own grandfather, James Frances Hoover.
The fatal incident reportedly stemmed from a heated argument over derogatory names the elder Hoover had called his grandson's girlfriend, Crystal Colyer.
The verbal dispute escalated dramatically when James Frances Hoover retrieved a gun and shot his grandson. Following the shooting, he then turned his aggression towards Colyer, attempting to attack her with a hatchet. In a desperate act of self-defense, Colyer managed to disarm him and struck him in the head with the weapon.
Despite the struggle and the eventual subduing of his attacker, Chase Hoover succumbed to the gunshot wound. Law enforcement subsequently arrested James Frances Hoover, and he was charged with first-degree murder for the death of his grandson and criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder for the attack on Colyer.
The legal proceedings against James Frances Hoover, however, would never reach a conclusion. He passed away while awaiting his trial, bringing the case to a close without a conviction. James Earl Chase Hoover was survived by his mother, a brother, and his two daughters, Natalie and Chloe. Funeral services were held on May 10, 2014, leaving a family and community to grapple with the devastating consequences of domestic violence.
