Accused Antioch Church Shooter Won’t Face Death Penalty

NASHVILLE, TN — Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty in the upcoming trial of alleged Antioch church shooter Emanuel Samson, the District Attorney General’s office announced Thursday afternoon.

Instead, the DA will ask for a life sentence without the possibility of parole, DA Glenn Funk’s office said in a statement.

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Samson, 26, pleaded not guilty to 43 charges, including first-degree murder, in March.

Samson had previously attended Burnette Chapel Church of Christ and on Sept. 24, 2017, police say he drove to the church with a carful of weapons and began firing, killing 39-year-old Melanie Crow of Smyrna in the parking lot and injuring seven others, including the church's pastor Joey Spann, inside the building. He was eventually subdued by long-time parishioner and church usher Caleb Engle, 22, who rushed from the church during the attack to his car to retrieve his handgun.

Police have not publicly disclosed a motive, though detectives did say they found a note in Samson's car referencing a white supremacist's 2015 massacre at a South Carolina black church. The note found on the dashboard read something like, "Dylann Roof was less than nothing," MNPD Det. Jolley testified at an October 2017 hearing.

Jolley said Samson admitted to the shooting in its aftermath, said he had visions of the church, but was otherwise vague.

During his 2014 campaign, Funk said he was personally opposed to the death penalty but that he is open to seeking it as a prosecutor.

Image via Metro Nashville Police