Knoxville Police Department Homicide Unit detectives charged two men in connection to the March 2025 murder of 16-year-old Ayden Russo on Monday.
Following continued and tireless investigation into the death of Russo, who was shot and killed outside of a Louise Avenue home on March 24th, Jaylyn Hudson, DOB 2-10-2004, and Jayden Conwell, DOB 8-19-2005, have been charged with first-degree murder.
With the assistance of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, both Hudson and Conwell were detained earlier today and subsequently questioned by Homicide Unit detectives.
After being questioned, Hudson and Conwell were taken into custody. They have since been booked into the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility.
Claiborne County, TN (WOKI) The Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office is searching for an inmate who escaped custody Monday afternoon.
Officials with the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office say 59-year-old Larry Keith Poore, of Cumberland Gap, escaped around 1:15 p.m. Monday while on work detail in the Oak Village Circle area in Cumberland Gap.
Poore was last seen wearing a navy blue shirt and navy blue pants.
CCSO says if you see Poore, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Currently underway, a state review of the Knox County Trustee’s Office leads to at least one employee being fired from the agency.
Knox County Trustee Justin Biggs releasing a statement Monday saying that the ongoing examination by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has “revealed an unfortunate breach to our policies,” adding that as the county’s Trustee, he is “dedicated to ensuring that our operations are conducted ethically and transparently.”
Biggs says his office is cooperating with the state in its review, the details of which have not been released, and one employee had already been fired.
“The cooperation with the Comptroller’s Office will continue as their review progresses,” Biggs said. “I assure you, the citizens, that I will persist in maintaining transparency throughout this process and beyond. My commitment to open and honest governance is unwavering, and I am thankful for your continued trust and support during this time.”
One of the duties of the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office’s is to review the policies and procedures of local and state government agencies and offices.
Knoxville Skyline from the Bluffs (Courtesy: WVLT / Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey)
The Knoxville Smokies opening day at Covenant Health Park is tomorrow (Tuesday).
The Smokies will begin play at home when they play the Chattanooga Lookouts. It’ll mark the first of a stretch of home games, many of which will be themed.
It’s a Smokies tradition that fans will get to celebrate with special nights throughout the season. This year will feature a Star Wars night, Harry Potter night, Tennessee night and many others.
The Knoxville Smokies, in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, have announced their initial 2025 season roster. The team features Chicago Cubs top 30 prospects, and returning faces to East Tennessee.
The infield flaunts Cubs’ #18 prospect Pedro Ramirez. A switch-hitter, Ramirez clubbed a .284 batting average and 48 RBI in High-A South Bend last year. Ed Howard, the 16th overall pick in the 2020 draft, makes his Class AA level debut this year with the Smokies. Other infielders will be Hayden Cantrelle, Haydn McGeary, and BJ Murray who were each on the Smokies’ roster at points during the 2024 season.
Outfielders for the Smokies are headlined by Felix Stevens and Parker Chavers, who were both on the Smokies’ postseason squad a season ago. Joining them are Jordan Nwogu and Jaylen Palmer.
Catchers for Knoxville will look familiar, with Cubs’ #27 prospect Pablo Aliendo donning the Smokies uniform once more. Aliendo played in 58 games for the Smokies in 2024, racking up 49 hits with 33 RBI and 10 HR. Casey Opitz will return, and a 6th round pick in 2019 by the Cubs, Ethan Hearn, will make his Class AA debut.
Opening Day Starting Pitcher for the Smokies is projected to be Cubs’ 2023 4th round pick Will Sanders. Sam Armstrong, Brad Deppermann, Nick Hull, Wil Jensen, Chris Kachmar, Grant Kipp, Robert Kwiatkowski, Ben Leeper, Zac Leigh, AJ Puckett, Tyler Santana, Frankie Scalzo, Mitchell Tyranski, and Cayne Ueckert round out the staff.
The parking map for Covenant Health Park Smokies games is below:
Cookeville, TN (WOKI) Police in Putnam County are asking for help finding a missing woman.
Officials with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office say 23-year-old Cassidy Chalee Madison Jackson was last heard from on Friday, April 11 and is believed to be with a man unknown to her family or authorities.
PCSO says Jackson is white with brown hair and green eyes, 5’4″ tall and weighs 135 lbs. Authorities say Jackson is known to drive a 2022 White Hyundai Elantra.
Those with information are asked to call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at (931) 528-8484.
Cassidy Chalee Madison Jackson, 23 (Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
Greene County, TN (WOKI) Two people are dead after a wrong-way crash in Greene County.
Officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol reporting that the crash occurred around 3:00 a.m. Monday morning when 80-year-old Paul Martinez, who was driving northbound along I-81 South near mile marker 30, hit another car head-on.
Both Martinez and 37-year-old Sherri Thornton of Virginia, a passenger in the other car, were killed. The driver of the other car was ejected and transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
According to THP, 80-year-old Paul Martinez was driving northbound along I-81 South near mile marker 30 when the crash occurred. (Courtesy: THP)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the second straight week and third time this season, Tennessee’s Liam Doyle earned an SEC weekly award after being named the SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Doyle set the tone for the Vols’ winning weekend in Oxford with another dominant performance on the mound in Friday night’s series-opening 3-2 victory over No. 6 Ole Miss.
Pitching in a hostile road environment, Doyle was spectacular against his former team, tossing a career-high 8.1 innings while allowing just two runs on three hits to earn the win and improve to 6-1 on the year. The junior lefthander finished with an SEC career-best 14 strikeouts on the night, which also tied a career-high mark that he set earlier this season against Samford. Doyle’s 8.1 innings pitched and 14 strikeouts led all SEC pitchers for the week, as well.
With Monday’s honor, Doyle became the first UT player to ever be named the SEC Pitcher of the Week three times in one season. He is also just the third player in program history to win three SEC weekly awards in the same year, joining Todd Helton (1995) and Drew Beam (2022).
The Vols have taken home six SEC weekly awards this season, including four pitcher of the week selections.
2025 SEC Weekly Award Winners
Levi Clark – Fr. – UTL SEC Freshman of the Week (March 10)
Liam Doyle – Jr. – LHP SEC Pitcher of the Week (March 10 | April 7 | April 14)
Gavin Kilen – Jr. – INF SEC Player of the Week (March 3)
Marcus Phillips – Jr. – RHP SEC Pitcher of the Week (March 17)
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 4/5 Tennessee came out on top in a thrilling back-and-forth battle against No. 6/6 Ole Miss, scoring three runs in the top of the ninth to earn a 10-8 victory in Sunday’s rubber game at Swayze Field.
The Vols (31-5, 11-4 SEC) entered the ninth inning trailing 8-7 after the Rebels responded from a five-run top of the sixth from UT with five unanswered runs of their own to take a lead on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth.
Sunday’s contest featured six lead changes as both teams traded punches throughout the day before Reese Chapman dealt the deciding blow with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to give the Big Orange a 9-8 lead. Hunter Ensley singled to score Manny Marin and provide an insurance run heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Despite allowing a pair of base runners, Nate Snead wrapped up the victory with a scoreless ninth inning to secure a big series win on the road for the Vols. Snead was the winning pitcher, improving to 3-0 on the year, after tossing 2.2 innings of relief to finish the game.
Seven different Vols had RBIs on Sunday, led by Chapman and Cannon Peebles, who both hit clutch two-run homers. Peebles had a team high three hits and threw out an attempted base stealer late in the game, as well.
Five of UT’s 11 total hits came in its five-run sixth inning that resulted in a 7-3 lead. The Vols batted around and sent 10 hitters to the plate in the inning with three different players driving in runs.
The Rebels (27-9, 9-6 SEC) quickly cut into the Vols lead with three runs in the bottom of the inning before tying the game with a run in the seventh and taking the lead back with another in the eighth before Tennessee rallied in the ninth.
Up Next
Tennessee will be back at home for four games next week at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols welcome Bellarmine on Tuesday night before hosting Kentucky for a three-game set starting on Friday night.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 7 Tennessee claimed its second series win over a top-two opponent this season, knocking off top-ranked Texas 4-1 on Sunday at Red and Charline McCombs Field. It marks the Lady Vols’ first series victory over a No. 1-ranked team since 2013.
Tennessee (34-9, 9-6 SEC) wasted no time getting on the board. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the first inning, Sophia Nugent lifted a foul pop-up behind the plate. Texas’ catcher collided with a teammate in pursuit and fell, allowing Kinsey Fiedler to tag and score the game’s first run.
The Longhorns (39-5, 11-4 SEC) answered in the bottom half with a two-out RBI double to right field, briefly tying the game.
In the third, the Lady Vols regained the lead on back-to-back one-out doubles. Taylor Pannell set the table, and McKenna Gibson delivered with a hard-hit double to left, putting Tennessee ahead 2-1.
Gibson added to her standout performance in the fifth, driving in another run. After a leadoff walk and a single set the stage, a wild pitch advanced the runners before Gibson lifted a sacrifice fly to score Fiedler. In the seventh, Gibson’s third hit of the day brought home another insurance run to make it 4-1 Tennessee—it was her third RBI of the game.
IN THE CIRCLE Karlyn Pickens was dominant once again, earning her second win of the weekend. The junior right-hander allowed one run on six hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts, improving to 17-4 on the year.
Over the weekend, Pickens was nearly untouchable. She went 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA, throwing two complete games and striking out 20 batters while allowing just two runs on 10 hits across 15 innings.
CHECK THE STATS According to the SEC Network, Tennessee becomes just the second team in SEC history to win series over both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the same season.
Gibson was a force at the plate throughout the weekend, finishing 4-for-9 with a home run, five RBIs, and a run scored. In Sunday’s finale, she went 3-for-3 and drove in three of Tennessee’s four runs.
The Lady Vols’ last series win over a No. 1 team came in 2013, when they took two of three from Alabama in Knoxville.
DUE UP Tennessee returns home April 17-19 to host Auburn in a three-game SEC series over Easter weekend. The series will run Thursday through Saturday.
LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn.—Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) law enforcement officials assisted in the recovery of the bodies of two missing teenagers who jumped into the Tennessee River from Interstate 75 in Loudon County.
TWRA wildlife officers and investigators joined the search on Wednesday morning. On Friday, they located and recovered the first victim using a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). This afternoon (Sunday), Knox County Rescue identified a target, which TWRA investigators confirmed as the second victim using the ROV. Divers with Knox County Rescue and members of the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office and Loudon County Fire Department recovered the victim’s body.
TWRA offers prayers and condolences for the victim’s families.
