Tenn. man accused of killing wife, her kin, and 2 others
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. - A southern Tennessee man faces homicide charges in the deaths of his wife, her father, brother, and teenage son, along with two other people in two states, authorities said yesterday.
The bodies of the relatives, along with a teenage neighbor, were found Saturday in two rural homes near Fayetteville, said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. A sixth body discovered at a business about 30 miles south in Huntsville, Ala., has not been identified, and authorities have not said how the killings are linked.
Jacob Shaffer, 30, of Fayetteville faces six counts of homicide, according to Kristin Helm, bureau spokeswoman. She identified the victims as Shaffer’s wife, Traci, 38; her son, Devin Brooks, 16; her brother, Chris Hall, 34; her father, Billy Hall, 57; and a neighbor, Robert Berber, 16. Jacob Shaffer was being held in the Lincoln County jail without bond.
Lincoln County Sheriff Murray Blackwelder said Saturday that his department was investigating three crime scenes, and would not confirm the causes of death in what he called “horrendous’’ killings and “one of the worst crimes Lincoln County has seen.’’ Autopsies were being performed yesterday.
Shaffer was sitting on the porch of one of the Fayetteville houses when authorities arrived.
