The Lillelid murders were a series of killings that took place in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. Three members of the Lillelid family were killed on April 6, 1997. Vidar Lillelid (aged 34), Delfina Lillelid (aged 28), their daughter Tabitha (aged 6), and son Peter (aged 2) were shot on a deserted rural road near Baileyton after a carjacking committed by a group of youths. Vidar and Delfina were found dead at the scene, while Tabitha died after being transported to the hospital. Peter survived, but, as a result of the shooting, was left with disabilities. Six young people from Kentucky, including two minors, were convicted of felony murder for the three deaths. Each received three life sentences, and an additional sentence of 25 years for the attempted murder of Peter.
Background Vidar Lillelid was born and raised in Bergen, Norway. He moved to the United States in 1985. In 1989, Vidar married Delfina Zelaya, a first-generation Honduran American from New York City, whom he had met through their common involvement in the Jehovah's Witnesses. Vidar and Delfina had two children: Tabitha, born on October 30, 1990, and Peter, born on March 3, 1995; both had dual Norwegian and American citizenship.
Murders On April 6, 1997, six young people, ages 14 to 20, from Pikeville, Kentucky—Jason Bryant, Natasha Cornett, Dean Mullins, Joseph Risner, Crystal Sturgill, and Karen Howell—were travelling to New Orleans, Louisiana, in a Chevrolet Citation car owned by Risner's mother with $500 Howell had saved (later claimed by the DA to have been "stolen"). Cornett was the leader of the group. Shortly after leaving Pikeville, they realized that Risner's car would likely not make it to New Orleans. They discussed stealing a vehicle from a parking lot or a dealership. The group was armed with two handguns, one 9 mm and the other .25 caliber.
At a rest stop along Interstate 81 outside Baileyton, in rural Greene County, Tennessee, eyewitnesses observed six youths in conversation with the Lillelid family, who were returning home to Knoxville after attending a religious convention in Johnson City. Vidar, carrying his son Peter, had approached Cornett and Howell to discuss his religious views. Risner and Bryant joined the conversation. Vidar asked them to join him at a picnic table to talk further. Risner, Bryant, Cornett and Howell followed him up the hill while Mullins and Sturgill remained in the car. At some point during the talk, Risner displayed one of the guns and said, "I hate to do you this way, but we are going to have to take you with us for your van." As Risner directed the Lillelid family into their van, Vidar pleaded with the group, offering his keys and wallet in exchange for being left at the rest stop, but Risner refused.
Risner, Bryant, Howell, and Cornett rode in the van with the Lillelids. Vidar drove while Risner, holding the gun on him, sat in the passenger seat. Mullins and Sturgill followed in Risner's car. In an attempt to calm her children, Delfina began to sing; Bryant reportedly ordered her to stop. Risner directed the Lillelids first to the interstate and then to a secluded road at the next exit, Payne Hollow Lane, near Greeneville. The Lillelids exited the van and gathered on the side of the road, where they were shot. Checking the bodies, Bryant stated, "They're still fucking alive," and shot them again.
Arrest After removing the license plates from Risner's car, the group abandoned it at the crime scene. They continued their journey towards New Orleans in the van, leaving the family for dead.Women's Entertainment Television Network (WETV) Women Behind Bars Series, Original Airdate June 16, 2009 They stopped at a Waffle House while traveling through Georgia, but left the restaurant when a group of police officers arrived. They decided to drive into Mexico instead of going to New Orleans. When they reached the border, they were initially denied admittance because they did not have the proper forms of identification, but eventually found a way into the country. While in Mexico, Bryant was shot in the hand and leg, and the group was stopped by the Mexican police. When they claimed they were lost, the officers ordered the group out of the van and conducted a search, finding a knife, as well as a photo album belonging to the Lillelid family. They ordered the group to re-enter the United States, where American border patrol officers searched them and subsequently took them to an Arizona jail. At the time of their arrest, two days after the murders, several of them had personal items belonging to the Lillelids in their possession.
Investigation Autopsies Cleland Blake, a forensic pathologist, testified that Vidar's body had six gunshot wounds, one to the right side of his head and five to his chest. The first shot entered his right eye, traveled through his temple, and exited in front of his right ear. While he could not be certain, it was Blake's opinion that this shot was fired from a 9 mm handgun and would have caused a loss of consciousness. Vidar then fell to the ground, on his back, and was shot three times in the upper right side of his chest. The wounds were described as also being consistent with those from a 9 mm, and targeted so that they would form an equilateral triangle. A wound just below Vidar's nipple was consistent with a .25 caliber weapon, and a final wound from a 9 mm was located just beneath it. There was a laceration on Vidar's right forearm where he had been grazed by a bullet, and post-mortem superficial abrasions to the back of his legs. Vidar most likely died within a few minutes of the initial gunshot to his right eye.
Delfina was shot eight times, and all eight bullets were recovered; six were from a 9 mm and two were from a .25 caliber. The first shot, from a 9 mm, shattered a bone in her left arm; the second shot, also from a 9 mm, shattered her left femur. Blake testified that these shots would not have killed her, but would have caused severe pain, leaving her unable to stand. Delfina was shot an additional six times while on her back, with the first three shots striking the left side of her abdomen. It was Blake's opinion that these shots were fired to form a triangular pattern, similar to the injuries inflicted on Vidar. The three shots pierced her stomach, leaving a four- to five-inch tear, and traveled through her pancreas, spleen, left kidney, and left adrenal gland. A final 9 mm entry wound was located at the midsection of Delfina's abdomen just above her navel, and the bullet was recovered from her spine. There was a .25 caliber gunshot wound under her left armpit where the bullet entered, coming to a stop in the skin on the back of her left shoulder. Another shot caused a wound to Delfina's left side, and the bullet was recovered from the center of her liver. She also suffered abrasions on her right calf. Delfina's wounds were not immediately fatal, and she could have been conscious for as long as 25 minutes, including while her body was driven over by the van.
Six-year-old Tabitha was shot once in the head with a small-caliber weapon, with the bullet entering the left side of her skull, traveling downward, and exiting behind her right ear. The wound caused immediate brain death. Hospitalized, she remained on life support until her uncle, who had been named her custodian, gave permission for several of her organs to be donated. Physicians harvested her heart, liver, gallbladder, kidneys, pancreas, spleen, and adrenal glands. Tabitha was pronounced dead one day after the shooting.
Vidar, Delfina, and Tabitha were buried together at Edgewood Cemetery in their hometown of Knoxville.
Peter Lillelid Two-year-old Peter was shot twice with a small-caliber weapon. One shot entered behind his right ear and exited near his right eye. A second gunshot penetrated his back and exited through his chest. He was transported by a Lifestar helicopter to the pediatric intensive care unit at the University of Tennessee Memorial Hospital in Knoxville, where he was listed in critical condition. Peter survived and was left disabled, he required vigorous resuscitation having sustained a contusion to his right lung with some residual bleeding in his right chest cavity. Doctors removed his damaged eye 11 days after the shootings. He remained in the hospital for 17 days before being transferred to a Knoxville rehabilitation center.
Perpetrators All six of the perpetrators were from Kentucky, were known to have had troubled backgrounds, struggled academically or with substance abuse, and—with the exception of Bryant—had attended Betsy Layne High School.
Natasha Cornett
Natasha Leanne Wallen Cornett, 18, was born in Betsy Layne, Kentucky. She was the product of an affair and grew up in poverty. Cornett had been a polite and good student until sixth grade, when her academic performance declined. She left school before completing ninth grade, and had no history of employment except babysitting. Cornett started using alcohol and illegal drugs, including heroin, ecstasy, and cocaine. At the age of 14, she was arrested for forgery due to the theft of a box of checks, and sentenced by the juvenile court to one year of probation. Cornett was arrested a second time for assaulting her mother, Madonna Wallen, and threatening to kill her with a knife, but her mother declined to press charges. On her 17th birthday, she married Steve Cornett, but the marriage ended after only ten months.
Dean Mullins Edward Dean Mullins, 19, was born on January 26, 1978, in Harold, Kentucky. He had left school in 1996 during his twelfth grade year, but was working on his GED. Mullins had no criminal record, and had been employed at a grocery store in Pikeville, Kentucky, in 1993 and 1994. Mullins' family and friends stated that his behavior worsened after becoming involved with Cornett, whom he had planned to marry.
Joseph Risner Joseph Lance Risner, 20, was born on October 13, 1976, in Hazard, Kentucky. He never met his biological father, and adopted his stepfather's last name. His family lived in Columbia, Kentucky, but moved to Georgia where he started fourth grade. Risner was described as a satisfactory student with a good work ethic until the separation of his mother and stepfather, which affected him emotionally. He and his mother moved back to Kentucky, where he had history of marijuana, alcohol, and LSD usage. He claimed that he had sexual relationships with two of his babysitters when he was 12 years old. Risner declined academically, failing seventh and eighth grade, before his marks improved in tenth grade, which he completed at Betsy Layne High School. It was there that he met the other perpetrators, including his girlfriend Howell. Risner joined the Army in June 1995 but received an administrative discharge after testing positive for marijuana. He earned a GED on May 29, 1996, and was accepted at Mayo Regional Technology Center in September 1996. Risner was the eldest of the group.
Crystal Sturgill