In the cool autumn air of Knoxville, Tennessee, a life was tragically cut short on the evening of November 12, 2011. Robert Earnest 'Ernie' Reno, a 40-year-old white male, was found lifeless in the yard of a residence on Selma Avenue, just a short distance from his own home on Skyline Drive. An autopsy would later reveal that he had been shot multiple times, the wounds ultimately leading to his death from blood loss.
He was just eight days shy of his 41st birthday.
Friends and neighbors remembered Ernie as a gentle soul, often seen riding his bicycle through the neighborhood collecting aluminum cans. He was described as a sweet guy who wouldn't hurt a fly, living a modest existence. On the night he was killed, he had been seen at a local market and had visited a friend's house before heading home. His bicycle was found at his residence, suggesting he had made it back before the fatal encounter.
The Knoxville Police Department launched an investigation into the homicide. A few hours before Ernie's body was discovered by a homeowner returning from work, officers had responded to a 'shots fired' call in the same area but found nothing suspicious at the time. Evidence was collected from the scene and sent for analysis, and numerous interviews were conducted. In the years that followed, with the case growing cold, the police department even produced a video reenactment of the events leading to his death in the hopes of generating new leads from the public.
Despite these efforts, the investigation into the death of Robert Earnest 'Ernie' Reno has yet to yield an arrest or identify a suspect. The case remains an open and unsolved homicide, leaving a family to grieve and a community to wonder who was responsible for the violent end to a quiet man's life. The motive for his killing remains as much a mystery as the identity of the person who pulled the trigger.
