Do you know who killed Charles \Austin\ Corn in 2009? Charles Austin Corn, a 23-year-old male, was fatally shot in his Knoxville, Tennessee, apartment on May 19, 2009. He succumbed to his injuries five days later, on May 24, 2009. The incident occurred during what police believe was a robbery at his residence at the Woodlands Townhouses on Spruce Ridge Way. At the time of his death, Corn was a student at the University of Tennessee.
According to investigators, evidence discovered at the scene led them to classify Corn as a high-level
marijuana dealer who was importing significant quantities of the drug. This aspect of his life became a central focus of the investigation into his murder. Authorities believed the motive for the shooting was connected to his involvement in the drug trade.
A key witness present during the shooting was Kinder Cole Tuckwiller, a fellow University of Tennessee student. Tuckwiller informed police that two unknown men entered the apartment, shot Corn, and then fled the scene. He also told investigators that he and Corn were about to smoke marijuana when the assailants entered. The day prior to Corn's shooting, Tuckwiller himself had reported being robbed of cash, marijuana, and a gun at his own apartment. This earlier incident led to the arrests of two other individuals, though they were not charged in connection with Corn's death.
Another individual, Brent Leeland Vinson, a former University of Tennessee football player, was also identified as a witness to the shooting. In the months following the incident, Vinson was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence and being an accessory after the fact in the murder of Charles Corn. Despite these charges against Vinson, no one has ever been charged with the murder itself.
The investigation into the death of Charles Austin Corn remains open. The Knoxville Police Department continues to list his case among its unsolved homicides. Despite the presence of witnesses and an arrest for actions after the crime, the individuals directly responsible for the shooting of Charles Corn have never been publicly identified or apprehended, leaving the case unresolved for over a decade.
