Thaddeus Nate Watkins, a man known to his loved ones as “Nate” or “NaNa,” was a cherished member of his Nashville, Tennessee community. At 36 years old, the Whites Creek High School graduate was a married man, a son, and a friend remembered for his caring, sweet, and outspoken personality. Those who knew him recalled a great person who was gone too soon, leaving a void that felt unreal. His passing left his mother, Sharon Watkins, and his wife, Katina Dylan Jenkins-Watkins, to mourn a life cut tragically short.
On the evening of Tuesday, October 6, 2015, Thaddeus’s life was ended by gun violence in the Bordeaux area of Nashville. The shooting happened around 9 p.m. in the 3800 block of Clarksville Pike. Officers from the Metro Nashville Police Department responded to a call of shots fired and discovered Thaddeus critically wounded inside a 2004 Chevrolet Impala. He had been shot multiple times. Emergency responders transported him to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The initial investigation by the Metro Nashville Police Department’s North Precinct detectives suggested that the shooting was not a random act of violence. Evidence gathered at the scene led investigators to believe that Thaddeus was the intended target of his assailant. Detectives worked to develop leads and understand the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter on Clarksville Pike. The neighborhood, a mix of residential areas and commercial establishments in the northwestern part of the city, became the focus of a homicide investigation as police sought to piece together the events of that night.
In the days following the deadly shooting, the investigation progressed, leading to the identification of a suspect. On October 9, 2015, just three days after Thaddeus was killed, police arrested 36-year-old Morris L. “Moe” Biggs. The arrest was the result of diligent work by North Precinct detectives. Biggs was subsequently charged with criminal homicide for the death of Thaddeus Watkins. He was taken into custody and booked into the Metro jail, where he was held without bond.
Despite the arrest and charge, the case has remained complex, and further public updates on the legal proceedings, including trial dates, verdicts, or a potential sentence for Morris Biggs, have been scarce. The motive behind the targeted shooting has not been publicly disclosed by authorities, leaving many questions unanswered for Thaddeus's family and community.
In the wake of his death, friends and family gathered to remember the man they loved. A viewing was held on Sunday, October 11, 2015, followed by a private graveside service at Greenwood Cemetery. Online memorials filled with messages of love and disbelief. One friend wrote, “Rest peacefully Nate you will be truly missed by many,” while another shared, “Still Doesn’t Seem Real. We will love you and miss you always.” As of late 2015, the case was proceeding through the justice system, but the ultimate resolution remains unclear in public records. The investigation into the death of Thaddeus Nate Watkins remains a painful memory for his loved ones, who continue to hope for complete justice.
