A Wilson county man has been charged with murder in connection to a man's death in Smyrna.
Police arrested 47-year-old David Michael Oeser, of Lebanon, Sunday morning.
Authorities said the victim, 49-year-old James Burney Whitehead, died at his home in the 300 block of 1 Mile Lane in Smyrna Friday afternoon. He had been found near death that day by a friend around 2 p.m. before dying approximately two hours later.
An autopsy has been set to determine Whitehead’s cause of death, but the case has been ruled a homicide.
Oeser has been charged with first-degree murder.
He was being held in lieu of a $1 million bond at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. Oeser’s preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 27.
“I can’t thank the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office enough for their tremendous assistance in locating Oeser,” Rutherford County Sheriff Michael Fitzhugh said. “Our patrol officers and detectives worked together in their usual efficient manner for a quick resolution to this crime.”
Police have asked anyone with information about the events leading up to Whitehead's death to call Detective Kyle Norrod at 615-904-3043.
