A Johnson County man is awaiting a November appearance in Circuit Court in Clarksville to answer first-degree murder, first-degree battery and aggravated-assault charges in the shooting death last month of the man's neighbors.
Court records show Samuel Jay Love, 33, of 265 Johnson County Road 1678 in Knoxville is accused of killing Michael Dale Bowles, age unavailable, wounding Amanda Guthrie and shooting at Guthrie's 15-year-old son. Guthrie lived with Bowles.
Love was arrested after the Sept. 1 shooting and has been held in the Johnson County jail in lieu of $100,000 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 4, according to a probable-cause order.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Love, Bowles and Guthrie had been arguing at Bowles' home before Love walked back to his home nearby.
Bowles, armed with a baseball bat, and Guthrie went to Love's home. Love went inside, returned with a 12-gauge shotgun and shot Bowles, the affidavit said. He went back inside for more shells, telling Guthrie she would be next, and then returned and shot her in both legs.
Love went to where Bowles had fallen on the ground and began beating him in the head with a piece of firewood and continued even after another person at the home tried to stop him, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said he grabbed the shotgun and went to the home of Bowles and Guthrie, calling for Guthrie's 15-year-old son. Bowles fired into the house, believing the boy was inside, the affidavit said. It was unclear from the affidavit whether the boy was inside.
State Desk on 10/13/2016