Kaleb Matthew Cox at the time of his arrest
A man who had faced a first-degree murder charge in a case in which another young man had been shot and then had his body burned has been allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
Kaleb Matthew Cox, who is now 26, received an agreed 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He pleaded to Range 3, which means he will have to serve at least 45 percent of the term before he is eligible for parole consideration. The range plea was "outside the range" - adjusted upwards. Range 1 is 30 percent eligibility and Range 2 is 35 percent eligibility.
Cox, who now lives in Florida, also pleaded guilty to abuse of a corpse and got a concurrent two-year sentence.
Handcuffs were placed on him and he was taken into custody after family members of victim Sean Moss, a former Eagle Scout from Franklin, Tn., gave emotional statements.
In the incident on Feb. 6, 2020, a burning car was found on a gravel road in a remote section of Prentice Cooper State Park just inside the Hamilton County line. It was later found that a badly burned body was covered in clothes in the back seat of the silver Toyota sedan.
Prosecutor Andrew Coyle said phone records were checked and it was learned that Cox was the last person to speak with the victim. Video from Prentice Cooper showed the Toyota being followed by the vehicle owned by Cox's girlfriend, Johnbeth Holland. Ms. Holland is facing charges of accessory after the fact, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. She is due in court on Jan. 31.
The prosecutor said it was later found that projectiles were in the chest of the victim.
Prosecutor Coyle said Cox first said that Sean Moss had a drug overdose. After the projectiles were found, he changed his story and said they had a dispute over drugs at an apartment in Red Bank. He claimed that Sean Moss pulled a gun on him and he pulled his own gun and fired several times.
Cox said he had hidden several items belonging to the victim in nearby woods, including the gun the victim allegedly had. That gun was never located, though specially trained dogs were called in for the search. Some items from the victim were located in the woods.
Prosecutor Coyle acknowledged that the Moss family was unhappy with the plea deal. Judge Barry Steelman said it did not appear there was any evidence of pre-meditation that would sustain a first-degree murder conviction. He said under a second-degree murder finding the lower range would be 15 years. He said Cox had no prior criminal record.
The victim's mother, Martha Moss, said, "Feb. 6, 2020, changed our lives forever." She said their lives had been in limbo while the case continued for almost four years. She said it was hard to see Cox out on bond and to know he had fathered a son during his freedom.
She told Cox, "You have no idea what you have put us through."
Ms. Moss said her son loved the outdoors and had been excited that Cox was due to take him sky diving that upcoming Saturday.
She said her son was still alive at 12:15 a.m. that morning when there was an Internet photo posted of him with Cox and Ms. Holland. Ms. Moss said she believes that Ms. Holland was an eye witness to the slaying.
Ms. Moss said her son was so badly burned that he could not be identified through dental records. She said DNA had to be taken from her to aid in the identification. She said he "was left in ashes."
The mother said it was a year before the ashes were turned over and the family could have a funeral.
She said he was shot three times.
Jordan Wheeler, who said she dated Sean Moss for three years, had Cox turn around and face a large number of Moss family members and supporters. She said, "You're the reason that he's gone."
The victim's brother, Chase Moss, told Cox he would never be able to get the images of that night out of his mind and that would be his punishment beyond jail.
Cox is represented by attorney Lee Davis.