HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A Kingsport woman has pleaded guilty to the 2013 murder of Regilla Ann Stacy.
A release from the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) states Tina Marie Luster, 49, pleaded guilty in Hawkins County Criminal Court to the second-degree murder of Stacy. Luster was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be served at 100%, according to the sheriff’s office.
The investigation into Stacy’s death began on Aug. 5, 2013, when deputies were called to a home on Mountain View School Road close to the Goshen Valley area. Stacy’s body was found inside, the sheriff’s office reports.
“It was determined that Ms. Stacy had been brutally murdered,” the release states.
An investigation began into Stacy’s murder, with help from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The sheriff’s office reports investigators worked with multiple jurisdictions in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia while searching for Stacy’s killer.
In April 2021, an indictment against Luster was secured. Luster was originally indicted on a first-degree murder charge.
Stacy’s children told News Channel 11 in 2021 that Luster had at one point been a good friend of their mother.
“We are happy to be able to finally bring some closure to the family of Ms. Stacy,” the HCSO stated Monday.
Several area agencies were also credited by the sheriff’s office for their assistance in the investigation, including the TBI, the Kingsport and Church Hill Police Departments, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office and several Tennessee state agencies.
