Dakota Marshall Willard, 23, was killed inside a residence on Lee Hi Street in Lenoir City, Tennessee, on February 11, 2019. Willard had been staying at that home intermittently since mid-January. A witness who was in the house reported that a man identified as the suspect entered, told the witness to go into a back bedroom and close his eyes, and moments later two gunshots were heard. The witness then found Willard on the couch with a gunshot wound to the upper right chest and a wound to the back of the head.

Investigators say the suspect was 26-year-old David Tyler Miles, who had also been living at the residence on and off. Authorities believe a dispute over a girlfriend may have been the motive. Miles allegedly stole his brother’s shotgun and car while the brother was in the shower, drove to the Lee Hi Street home, and left the scene before the witness called 911. A citizen tip led to Miles’s arrest by Knox County deputies later that day. He was charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, especially aggravated burglary, and theft of property over $10,000, held on bond set at more than $2 million, and later indicted; an arraignment was scheduled for August 19, 2019.

If anyone knew Dakota, his movements that winter, or saw the vehicle involved, please share information that could help clarify what happened.