Tennessee teen allegedly shot mother in head for confiscating his cellphone

A Tennessee teen accused of shooting his sleeping mother in the head allegedly fired off the fatal shot because she confiscated his cellphone.

Shawn Willis has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his mother, Sandy Willis. According to authorities, he was only 17 years old when he crept into his mother’s bedroom inside their Rocky Top home and then used a handgun she kept in her nightstand to kill her.

By the time police arrived on the scene the night of April 20, 2020, Sandy was already dead.

With his father’s permission, Shawn Willis voluntarily agreed to be interviewed by investigators in wake of the shooting. He reportedly confessed to snatching the gun and then going into another room to load it so not to wake his sleeping mother. When he returned, he said he shot her at close range in the head.

Details surrounding the case were mostly unknown, but newly released juvenile court documents obtained by WATE provide some insight into the slaying.

Shawn allegedly told investigators he was annoyed with his mother for taking away his cellphone earlier in the night.

Prosecutors are charging Willis, who has since turned 18, as an adult. He is being held in the Anderson County Jail with a bond set at $1 million.