Tennessee resident Shawn Willis was given a 30-year prison term for shooting his mother to death. He will be imprisoned without the possibility of release after entering a guilty plea.
Sandy, his mother, took away his phone, which infuriated him. Thus, on April 20, 2020, at their Rocky Top house, he shot her with her gun. Shawn was aware that his mother kept the revolver on her bedside table. When she was unarmed and sleeping soundly, he shot her in the head.
He was charged with second-degree murder after entering a guilty plea. In Shawn’s situation, he will carry out the full sentence in jail; normally, a parole is attainable after ten years. When he committed the crime that killed his mother, he was a teenager.
On April 20, 2020, Shawn T. Willis, then 16 years old, shot and killed his mother, Sandy Willis, while she was asleep.#CourtTVWhat are your thoughts?www.t.co/KaeDedljCB
Court TV August 11, 2025 (@CourtTV)
In order to lower his accusation to second-degree murder, he entered a guilty plea. He summoned his girlfriend to his house that day after his mother passed away and informed her that he had discovered her dead and covered in blood. The father of his girlfriend then showed up and dialed 911.
Shawn gave the investigators a number of contradictory accounts, which increased their mistrust of him. His fictitious tales didn’t last long. He admitted to using his mother’s firearm to commit the murder in May. To keep his mother from hearing the loading noise, he went downstairs and concealed the revolver.
After that, he proceeded to her room to shoot her up close. There was preparation behind his plan to kill his mother as retaliation. Due to the argument that she stole his phone, he shot her twice.
When their teenagers misbehave, most parents discipline them by taking away their electronics. Sandy had no idea that it would turn out to be the cause of death.
Shawn Willis has entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder. He was 16 when he shot and killed his mother when she took away his phone. He was condemned to 30 years in prison at the age of 21.#CourtNewspic.twitter.com/ukpQiF8O3F #TrueCrime
August 11, 2025, Inside the Trial (@insidetheTrial)
After Sandy received justice and the murderer was sentenced, District Attorney General Dave Clark was relieved. He also offered the bereaved family support. He received a suitable sentence, and they were happy with the way the matter was resolved.
There were a number of sentencing limits because he was a minor at the time of the crime, but the family was happy with the decision.
The fact that Sandy’s son killed her over a cellphone shocked many, who were profoundly affected by her murder. Even the neighbors were devastated for the family members and astonished by the news. He received thirty years in prison instead of the life sentence they had hoped for.
