NEWPORT-A Newport man has been arrested in connection with a Thursday stabbing that killed one man and injured a teenage girl.
Newport Assistant Police Chief James Finchum said that Christopher Luke Gorrell, 25, 1724 Old Newport Highway, is charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the incident.
Gorrell was charged Saturday evening and was reportedly already in jail for parole violation. His murder charges stem from the stabbing death of Vernon Ray Meadors Jr. on Thursday at 344 Maple Leaf Drive in Newport. Gorrell is also charged with stabbing a 16-year-old female, who was listed in critical but stable condition in University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville on Friday.
Finchum said both victims suffered multiple stab wounds but said investigators have yet to recover the murder weapon.
Finchum said the motive for the stabbings was unknown and said he would "not speculate" as to whether the incident was drug related. Investigators, however, do believe the suspect and victim knew each other.
An autopsy was performed Friday at the UT Forensics Center and Finchum said preliminary results are expected Monday or Tuesday. "It's usually a couple of weeks before we get the full autopsy and toxicology reports," he said.
A press release from NPD said the arrest is the culmination of a joint investigative effort of the Newport Police Department, District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn's office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The release said officers worked around the clock following leads until evidence led to Gorrell's arrest.
The investigation is continuing but no other arrest are expected, according to Finchum.