On a Sunday morning in Knoxville, Tennessee, the sounds of a children's musical at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church were tragically interrupted by violence. It was July 27, 2008, and 61-year-old Linda Kraeger was in attendance with her husband and friends to enjoy the performance of 'Annie Jr.'. A retired English professor with a warm smile and a reputation for kindness, she had moved to the area with her husband, Duane, to be closer to friends and help them raise their
granddaughters.
The festive atmosphere was shattered when a man named Jim D. Adkisson entered the church and opened fire with a shotgun. In the chaos that ensued, several members of the congregation were struck. Greg McKendry, a fellow church member, was killed at the scene as he heroically shielded others from the gunman. Linda Kraeger was critically injured and rushed to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she succumbed to her wounds later that evening. Seven other people were also wounded in the attack before brave church members were able to subdue the shooter until police arrived.
The assailant, 58-year-old Jim Adkisson of Powell, Tennessee, was immediately taken into custody. His motive, as he later confessed to authorities, was a deep-seated hatred for liberals. He specifically targeted the Unitarian Universalist church because of its liberal teachings, stating that he believed all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country. Investigators found a four-page letter in his home in which he detailed his frustrations and his plan, indicating he expected to be killed by police during his assault. The act was unequivocally labeled a hate crime by authorities.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Jim Adkisson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Linda Kraeger and Greg McKendry, as well as multiple counts of attempted murder for those he wounded. In February 2009, Adkisson pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The church community, while mourning the profound loss of two of its beloved members, found a measure of closure in the swift administration of justice and has since dedicated its library in memory of Linda Kraeger.
