Teen accused of killing mother for taking away cell phone

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - An Anderson County teen is in custody after allegedly killing his mother after she took his phone away in April 2020. According to a release from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Shawn Willis shot his mother, Sandy Willis, in the head while she slept.

According to officials with the ACSO, Willis used a handgun his mother kept on her nightstand to kill her. He allegedly took the weapon into another room to load it so that his mother would not hear it, then returned to her bedroom where she was asleep to shoot her.

Willis and his father both consented to Willis being interviewed by law enforcement, during which he confessed to the crime, the report said.

Investigators said that Willis’ case was originally filed in the Anderson County Juvenile Court, but has since been transferred to the Criminal Court.

Willis is in jail with a $1,000,000 bond.

Willis is scheduled for a pretrial hearing and plea set date on December 3 at 9 a.m.