Robert Hurst

A fingerprint left on a piece of evidence led detectives with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to the man who killed an East Knox County man in September.  Thirty-nine year old Robert Wayne Hurst of Mascot is in the Knox County Detention Facility under a one million dollar bond charged with felony murder, first degree murder, and especially aggravated robbery.  He is accused of shooting and stabbing to death 64 year old James Mullins on September 22, 2009 during a robbery of Mullins’ business on Rutledge Pike.

Hurst has been in jail since December 22, 2009 on an aggravated burglary charge.  The KCSO Forensic Unit got a hit on Hurst’s fingerprint on some evidence collected and took the case to a grand jury which indicted Hurst on Wednesday.  “If it weren’t for the great work from the Forensic Unit, this case would have been much harder to solve,” said Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones.  The fingerprint was taken from a bloody glove at the scene.

The investigation is continuing as detectives believe another suspect may have been involved in the murder.  Sheriff Jones said Mullins put up a fierce struggle and called this a vicious murder.

Both Sheriff Jones and Detective Matt Sexton praised the Mullins family for their help in the case.  Sexton, who is the lead detective in the case, said the family helped provide several leads and were very supportive of the investigators.

Hurst has a criminal history dating back to 1989 which includes public order crimes, driving without a license, aggravated assault, theft, and failure to appear.