No Charges in Death of Reelfoot Murder Suspect

A northwest Tennessee district attorney general says charges will not be filed in the death of a Martin man who was a suspect in the January shooting deaths of two people at Reelfoot Lake.

In a news release, 27th Judicial District Attorney General Tommy Thomas said forensic autopsy results on the body of 70-year-old David Vowell did not conclusively determine the cause of his death, but the circumstances surrounding his death and discovery reportedly suggest Vowell either drowned or died of hypothermia.

Thomas said his office finds no basis for criminal charges in Vowell's death.

Vowell's body was found in Reelfoot Lake on Jan. 30. Prior to his death he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, after police say he shot and killed 26-year-old Chance Black and 25-year-old Zachery Grooms, of Greenfield on Jan. 25 during a duck hunting trip.

A witness, Jeffrey Crabtree, reportedly confirmed Vowell was the one who shot the men.

Thomas said Crabtree's account was consistent with autopsy findings on both men, and the autopsy findings will be reported to a grand jury in June.