On the morning of October 9, 2023, in East Knoxville, Tennessee, a witness discovered 47-year-old Trista Larae Denton with a gunshot wound and flagged down officers near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Ben Hur Avenue. Emergency services transported Denton to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
Initial reports from witnesses at the scene indicated that an unidentified individual had shot Denton
before fleeing in a vehicle. For months, the Knoxville Police Department's Homicide Unit actively investigated the case, seeking leads and urging the public to come forward with any information. The motive for the shooting remained unclear in the early stages of the investigation, and no immediate suspects were identified.
A significant development in the case came in May 2024, when a Knox County Grand Jury indicted 33-year-old Thomas Solomon, a resident of Knoxville, on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with Trista Denton's death. Solomon was scheduled for a court appearance on May 24, 2024. While the indictment marked a crucial step forward in the case, authorities have continued to appeal to the public for any further information regarding the shooting.
