HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn.- A man accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife nearly a decade ago was indicted by a grand jury on first degree murder charges Tuesday.
Officials in Sumner County said that new evidence against Tyrone Tackett led a jury to believe that Tackett's wife Salena Tackett was deceased although her body has never been found.
Salena Tackett disappeared from the couple's Hendersonville home back in January of 2003. Tyrone Tackett originally told investigators she left voluntarily, leaving her two year old child, her purse and a car behind.
The case went cold and Tackett moved to Florida. In January of 2011, Hendersonville's new police chief reopened the case and the investigation led to Tackett's arrest on charges of solicitation to commit murder, amid allegations he hired someone to have his wife killed.
"The Hendersonville Police Department has worked tirelessly on this case ever since Selena Tackett disappeared in 2003, and their hard work has enabled us to now present this case in court for trial," said District Attorney Ray Whitley.
The indictment of first degree murder charges against Tackett was handed down Tuesday afternoon. Tackett has been in the Sumner County Jail since he was brought back to Tennessee in July on the solicitation to commit murder charges. He is currently being held without bond.
If convicted on the first degree murder charges, Tackett could receive a sentence of life in prison.
A court date has been set for December 16th, 2011 in the Criminal Court of Sumner County.
Past Stories
