Smoky Mountain Journal -23-Year Old Fugitive Suspected of Gunning Down Mother, Friend Before Posting It On Facebook Kills Himself In Mississippi




The Great Smoky Mountain Journal Source: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:45 PM

23-Year Old Fugitive Suspected of Gunning Down Mother, Friend Before Posting It On Facebook Kills Himself In Mississippi
The 23-year-old fugitive suspected of gunning down his mother and a friend in Tennessee before posting a twisted account of the attack to his Facebook page has apparently killed himself, police said. The man's body was reportedly found Monday in neighboring Mississippi. Casey Lawhorn apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after allegedly shooting his mother Vi Lawhorn and friend Avery Gaines on Sunday in East Ridge, Tennessee, according to a statement from Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson. Lawhorn had reportedly said in the online posts that he had "spent a lot of time thinking about murder, wondering what it feels like." Mississippi Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said the man's body was found Monday morning in Vossburg, a community about 330 miles (530 kilometers) southwest of East Ridge. Lawhorn "used social media to announce he had murdered his mother and friend," Strain said in a statement. East Ridge Assistant Police Chief Stan Allen said in a statement that Lawhorn had notified authorities about the bodies before fleeing Tennessee. His abandoned car was found along Interstate 59 in Mississippi not far from where his body was found. Allen said police believe the announcement about the slayings, made on Facebook, was posted by Lawhorn because it had details only the killer would know. Lawhorn said in the posts that Gaines was sleeping at his house while he left early Sunday to pick up his mother at a bar. After Lawhorn returned home with her, he began putting his plan into action, according to the man's post.