Event Brief
UPDATED Oct 20, 2026 at 11:20 AM ET
Oct 19, 2026 at 9:37 AM ET
Jury Selection Begins in Blount County Triple-Homicide Case
By The BriefBrief
Jury selection is underway for Johnny Ray Wilburn, who faces 41 criminal counts, including first-degree murder, in connection with a January 2025 house fire that killed three people in Walland. The trial is scheduled to begin Monday afternoon after the jury is finalized; prosecutors are seeking life without parole.
WHO: Johnny Ray Wilburn; prosecutors; the three victims, Delmar Marty Farley, Cas Ivan Farley and Norma Kay Farley
WHAT: Jury selection began for Wilburn's trial on 41 criminal counts, including first-degree murder.
WHEN: Reported Oct 19, 2026 at 2:49 PM ET
WHERE: Blount County
WHY: Jury selection is proceeding as part of the trial over the fatal house fire and deaths of three residents; Wilburn faces 41 criminal counts, including first-degree murder.
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