Ren David Ely

In the quiet community of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, the life of Ren David Ely, a 76-year-old male, came to a tragic end on the evening of May 17, 2019. What began as a domestic disturbance call to a residence on Cumberland Estates Road swiftly escalated into a homicide investigation, leaving a family fractured and a community in shock.

Claiborne County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the home to find a grim scene. In a back bedroom, Ren David Ely lay unresponsive, covered by a camouflage blanket. A large amount of blood was present, and a semi-automatic pistol was found on the floor nearby, its magazine lying next to the victim's body. The initial call had come in around 5:38 p.m., signaling the start of a harrowing evening.

The suspect in the shooting was quickly identified as Ren David Ely’s son, 44-year-old Daniel Franklin Ely. At the scene, Daniel Ely reportedly told officers that his father had been holding his mother at gunpoint and that he 'had to shoot' him. Following this initial statement, he was taken into custody.

Daniel Ely was initially charged with criminal homicide in the shooting death of his father. However, as the case progressed through the legal system, the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder by a Claiborne County Sessions Court judge. In September 2019, a Claiborne County Grand Jury returned a true bill, indicting Daniel Franklin Ely on the charge of first-degree murder, indicating that the grand jury found sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. He was held in the Claiborne County jail as he awaited further legal proceedings. The case was investigated by the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office, with detectives piecing together the events that led to the fatal shooting.