In the quiet early morning hours of February 10, 2023, in Kingston, Tennessee, the life of 24-year-old Deetta Shavesha Weaver was tragically cut short. At approximately 12:30 a.m., deputies from the Roane County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a residence on De Armond Road following a report that a woman had been shot. Upon their arrival, they discovered Weaver lying in the side yard of a mobile home, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound. Another woman was present with Weaver but was unharmed.
As three deputies approached the home to investigate, they came under fire from inside the residence. The gunman, later identified as 53-year-old Clifford Amos Koontz, fired multiple shots at the officers. The deputies were unable to immediately determine his exact location within the home. After the initial barrage of gunfire ceased, the officers were able to move the two women away from the immediate danger and to emergency medical services. Koontz then barricaded himself inside the mobile home, leading to a tense standoff that lasted for nearly two hours. A breakthrough in the standoff came when a captain with the sheriff's office successfully made telephone contact with Koontz and persuaded him to surrender peacefully.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a chilling sequence of events. Text messages sent by Koontz indicated that he had been waiting outside his residence for at least 30 minutes prior to the shooting. Another message sent by him around 12:37 a.m. stated that he had killed Weaver. It was determined that when Weaver and Koontz's ex-wife arrived at the residence and got out of their vehicle, Koontz opened fire, fatally wounding Weaver. After his arrest, Koontz provided conflicting and inconsistent explanations for his actions. He initially claimed he had gone outside to check his mail and later said he was trying to 'kill a raccoon.' He also attempted to justify the shooting by claiming he had heard that Weaver was a threat to his daughter. However, he admitted that his daughter was not present that night, and that his poor eyesight, combined with the darkness, prevented him from clearly seeing Weaver.
Clifford Amos Koontz was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Deetta Weaver and three counts of attempted murder of a police officer. His trial began on December 9, 2025, and on the second day, before testimony could resume, Koontz pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. In accordance with his plea agreement, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The other pending charges were dismissed as part of the agreement.
