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Friday, June 05, 2009
(Last modified: 2009-06-05 08:01:33) Source: The Greeneville Sun Three Men Facing 1st-Degree Murder Charges In Death Of Zachary Nave
BY BILL JONES STAFF WRITER Four men charged in connection with the Jan. 16 fatal shooting of Zachary R. Nave at Highway 107 Cutoff residence had their cases bound over to a Greene County grand jury after a June 1 hearing in General Sessions Court. Court records indicate that at the conclusion of preliminary hearings presided over by Circuit Judge Tom Wright: * Gregory M. Anderson, 22, formerly of 120 Freshour Trailer Park, Chuckey, was bound over to the grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder; * Travis D. Monroe, 19, formerly of 120 Freshour Trailer Park, Chuckey, was bound over the grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder; * Kenneth Monroe, 22, also formerly of 120 Freshour Trailer Park, Chuckey, was bound over to the grand jury on a first-degree murder charge after he waived a preliminary hearing on Monday, June 1; and * Brendan A. Royer, 28, formerly of 2415 107 Cutoff, was bound over to the grand jury on a charge of felony possession of more than a half-ounce of marijuana. Judge Wright presided over the preliminary hearings because General Sessions Judge Kenneth Bailey, Jr., had recused himself from the case because of his former association with defense attorney John Rogers, who represented Anderson during the preliminary hearings. A report filed by Sheriffs Sgt. Terry Rader on Friday night, Jan. 16, said that when he arrived at 2415 107 Cutoff about 9:30 p.m., he found Zachary Ryan Nave, 21, lying dead just inside the basement door. Also lying on the basement floor suffering from a gunshot would to his right foot was Nave's roommate Brendan Royer, according to the report. When officers entered the basement of the house, according to the report, they noticed the smell of burning marijuana. Royer, according to the report, told officers that he had placed approximately one pound of marijuana in a wood-burning stove in an attempt to destroy it before officers arrived. The report said Royer told deputies that he and Nave had been smoking marijuana and had been expecting "people" to come over. When they heard a knock at a basement door, officers were told, Nave went to the door, at least two men entered, and one began firing a gun. One of the shots, according to the report, fatally wounded Nave. At that point, the report quoted Royer as telling deputies, Royer fired back, and believed that his shots struck one of the intruders. The intruders then retreated from the house, the report said. A short time later, according to Sheriff Steve Burns, Travis D. Monroe was brought to the emergency room at Laughlin Memorial Hospital suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Deputies recovered two handguns from the shooting scene, according to Sgt. Rader's report. Royer was wounded in the right foot by a gunshot during the incident. He was flown from the scene to the Johnson City Medical Center. After he was released from the hospital, he was charged by sheriff's detectives with felony possession of marijuana. Travis Monroe was charged with first-degree murder after he was released from the Johnson City Medical Center where he had been transferred for treatment of gunshot wounds. His brother, Kenneth Monroe, 22, and their cousin, Gregory M. Anderson, 22, were initially charged with being parties to the offense of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Nave. But the charges against Kenneth Monroe and Anderson later were upgraded to first-degree murder. Copyright © 2009, The Greeneville Sun |