JOHNSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A state prison inmate in Northeast Tennessee has been charged with the murder of another inmate, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Friday.
Gregory Barner, 48, has been charged with first degree murder in the death of Robert Henry Hicks Jr., 70.
According to the TBI, Hicks’ death was the result of a stabbing inside the Northeast Correctional Facility in Johnson County. During their investigation, special agents found that Barner was the one who stabbed Hicks, the TBI said.
TBI special agents began investigating on January 24 alongside the Tennessee Department of Correction at the request of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney.
The Johnson County Grand Jury returned the indictment on May 15. Barner was served the indictment on May 25 at the Northeast Correctional Facility.
