Eric Burchfield, 28, was found dead in the early hours of July 21, 2017, at a gas station on Hixson Pike in Hixson, Tennessee. Patrol officers discovered his body near the station’s sign around 3:25 a.m., before any call to police. He had been shot in the back and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators focused on a woman close to Burchfield, identified as Ember Lee Cash Elm, also known as Emily Brooks. An eyewitness reported seeing a woman near the vehicle where Burchfield was later found, speaking on the phone and sounding agitated about a boyfriend and drugs, then leaving before the witness returned outside. Burchfield’s mother told officers the two had argued earlier and said, Ember killed him. Police said Burchfield’s phone contained text messages showing ongoing conflict between them.

Elm was arrested at her home the day after the killing. Officers say she briefly slipped handcuffs and ran but was captured nearby; a handgun recovered from a backpack she tried to reach was later linked to a casing found by Burchfield’s body. Court filings show she was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under an open plea, and received a 21-year sentence that remained in place on appeal.