Angela Darie Garretson, a 31-year-old White / Caucasian female, died on Sunday, July 3, 2022, in Marlinton, West Virginia, after a violent shooting that left the quiet Pocahontas County community shaken. She was from Hillsboro and had been born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on January 7, 1991. Her obituary remembered her as a mother, daughter, sister, and friend, with family ties across Hillsboro, Marlinton, Buckeye, Roanoke, Lewisburg, and other communities.
What began as a family’s sudden loss quickly became a criminal investigation when authorities found her body in a field off Route 39 in Marlinton.
West Virginia State Police were called on July 3, 2022, after a deceased woman was discovered in a recently mowed field. Reports from the investigation said Angela was found lying in the field, and a crime scene team from Elkins was called to examine the scene. Investigators determined she had been shot three times. Other reporting described the wounds as including shots to the back of her head, with authorities treating the death as a homicide from the start.
Within days, the investigation turned toward Tanner Lee Moore, a Marlinton man who was 25 at the time. On July 6, 2022, Moore went to the Marlinton State Police detachment, where he was advised of his Miranda rights. According to court and police reporting, Moore then gave a recorded statement to Trooper First Class D. M. Brock in which he admitted that he had shot and killed Angela Garretson. He was taken into custody that same day and initially held without bond.
Moore was charged with first-degree murder and use or presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony. A Pocahontas County grand jury later indicted him on those charges. The case moved slowly through court, with multiple status hearings and delays. At one point, his trial was continued after the State requested more time because a key witness was unavailable, and defense counsel also sought a continuance. Court reporting also noted that Moore remained in custody while pretrial matters were handled, including a ruling that his voluntary statements could be allowed at trial.
In July 2024, the case reached a resolution before a jury trial was completed. Moore entered a guilty plea to the lesser included felony offense of voluntary manslaughter and also pleaded guilty to use of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The plea was accepted by the court, and Moore waived his right to a presentence investigation report. He was remanded to custody pending sentencing.
At sentencing later that month, Tanner Moore was sentenced in Pocahontas County Circuit Court to 15 years in the state penitentiary for voluntary manslaughter and 10 years for use of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The court ordered the sentences to run consecutively, meaning a total definite sentence of 25 years. He was given credit for 749 days already served and was remanded back into custody. The available reporting does not identify any additional suspects, and the prosecution ultimately centered on Moore as the person responsible for Angela Garretson’s death.
