Courtesy of Rutherford County Sheriff s Office
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Debbie Ervin now breathes better because the man who killed her daughter was sentenced to 40 years in prison Thursday.
Katelyn Ervin, 26, was killed by Ellis Lee Bell III on Feb. 27, 2018, said Detective Sgt. Steve Craig of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
Bell, 36, of Nashville pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of Ervin and pleaded no contest to a related rape charge during a hearing Thursday in Circuit Court.
During a victim’s impact statement, Debbie Ervin told Bell “how our family has been completely shattered because of his actions.”
Katelyn Ervin was the fifth child of six children from the blended family between her mother and father, Steve Ervin, a county commissioner and Probation and Recovery Services Director for Rutherford County.
Residents in Murfreesboro s Blackman community are uneasy about the city s plan to rezone a portion of land slated for a park to commercial use.
Mayor Shane McFarland met with around 50 people from the Berkshire neighborhood on Sunday to offer insight about reasons why the Murfreesboro City Council plans to rezone all but 15 acres of the 123 acres along Blackman, Vaughn and Burnt Knob roads initially planned for recreational use.
In 2016, the council bought the property for $4.9 million. Now, city leaders say the property is better suited as a site to create jobs due to its location near Interstate 840.
At the same time the city was looking at sites for potential parks, growth in the area warranted the need for additional schools. Sites previously earmarked for parks were repurposed for schools and a much-needed fire station, McFarland explained.
15 hrs ago
The Murfreesboro Planning Commission voted to recommend approval to rezone 116.7 acres of land along Veterans Parkway despite criticism from Blackman community residents at last Wednesdayâs public hearing.
Principal Planner Margaret Ann Green presented the City Administration Departmentâs request to rezone 101.7 acres from Park District (P) to Commercial Highway District (CH) and Gateway Overlay District 3 (GDO-3) and 15 acres to be zoned P and GDO-3.
The properties noted within the application are along Veterans Parkway, south of Burnt Knob Road, west of Blackman Road and north of Vaughn Road.
The city-owned property was zoned P in 2017 with the intention of adding a park on the west side of Murfreesboro, according to Green. The area was commonly referred to as the West Park site.
The Murfreesboro Planning Commission voted to recommend approval to rezone 116.7 acres of land along Veterans Parkway despite criticism from Blackman community residents at last Wednesdayâs public hearing.
Principal Planner Margaret Ann Green presented the City Administration Departmentâs request to rezone 101.7 acres from Park District (P) to Commercial Highway District (CH) and Gateway Overlay District 3 (GDO-3) and 15 acres to be zoned P and GDO-3.
The properties noted within the application are along Veterans Parkway, south of Burnt Knob Road, west of Blackman Road and north of Vaughn Road.
The city-owned property was zoned P in 2017 with the intention of adding a park on the west side of Murfreesboro, according to Green. The area was commonly referred to as the West Park site.
Residents disappointed by reduced Blackman Park plans
Blackman land use plan from 1990s foresaw a business park on land in question
A consultant in 2020 ranked the Blackman Park land as top economic development site in Murfreesboro
Most of the land for the 123-acre Blackman Park plan should be sold to attract corporate offices off Interstate 840 and Veterans Parkway, Murfreesboro officials contend. This property can better serve Murfreesboro as a job creation and economic development opportunity similar to the city-owned Gateway properties, said Sam Huddleston, executive director of the city s Development Services Division. With other developments in the area and the proximity to and visibility from I-840, this property has a high potential for those uses.