Sofia Saric

2 days ago | timesfreepress.com | Sofia Saric

Tamaya Jordan said during a Tuesday sentencing hearing she owns a necklace holding the ashes of her brother, who was murdered outside Chattanooga's Amazon facility, but she cannot bear to wear it. "I have no siblings left," she said through tears. "I didn't get a last goodbye."Jordan was among several family members who testified in front of Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Amanda Dunn about the devastation caused by the Aug. 9, 2023, fatal shooting of JaVontae Moon.

2 days ago | timesfreepress.com | Sofia Saric

The man who fatally shot prominent businessman Chris Wright in the forehead in downtown Chattanooga was found guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder in Hamilton County Criminal Court. Darryl Roberts, 58, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Wright's death. A Hamilton County jury found Roberts guilty of the lesser offense after about seven hours of deliberation across two days.

2 days ago | timesfreepress.com | Sofia Saric

The case against a woman accused of fatally stabbing a Signal Mountain man was closed after her death. Rhonda Lorna Essenpreis, 67, was accused of first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing her romantic partner Randall Paul Otto, 69. Criminal Court records show Essenpreis' case was "abated by death" Thursday. A reporter asked Hamilton County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Matt Lea by email whether she was in jail custody when she died, but he did not immediately respond.

3 days ago | timesfreepress.com | Sofia Saric

A Hamilton County jury began deliberating Monday afternoon in the case of Darryl Roberts, who is accused of fatally shooting a prominent businessman in downtown Chattanooga. Roberts, 58, is charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 28, 2023, death of Chris Wright. Jurors started weighing the case evidence at 3 p.m. and had not reached a verdict by 6 p.m. Roberts' trial started April 14.

5 days ago | timesfreepress.com | Sofia Saric |Sarah Dolgin

Former state Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, is expected to be among many Tennessee officials called to testify at an upcoming trial for a former House speaker and his one-time aide, but Smith's cooperation will likely be crucial to the case. Sofia Saric is a criminal justice reporter with a focus on the courts system for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She joined the newspaper in January 2024.