Ricky Helmick, Jr.
An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of a Sneedville man on charges of killing his father and his father’s friend, while attempting to steal a truck.
At the request of 3rd District Attorney General Dan Armstrong, on April 8, TBI special agents joined detectives with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office in investigating the deaths of Ricky Helmick, Sr., 57, and Natasha Riley, 37. Both were found shot to death in a residence at 1041 Vardy Blackwater Road in Sneedville. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that Ricky Helmick, Jr., the son of one of the victims, was the individual responsible for their deaths during the attempt to take his father’s truck. The investigation further found that Helmick, Jr., had confined another relative during that incident.
The Hancock County Grand Jury returned indictments on Monday, charging Helmick, 30, with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, and one count of theft over $1,000. Helmick, who has been incarcerated in the Hamblen County Jail, was served Tuesday on the new charges. His bond is set at $750,000.