Chris Ferrell Arrested on 2nd Degree Murder in Wayne Mills Case
According to Nashville Police, Chris Ferrell, owner of the Pit & Barrell Bar, has been arrested on 2nd degree murder charges in the death of country music songwriter and Outlaw artist Wayne Mills. “Bar owner Christopher Michael Ferrell surrendered himself a short time ago on a Davidson County Grand Jury indictment charging him with second-degree murder for the November 23rd shooting death of musician Jerald Wayne Mills.”
44 year-year-old Jerald Wayne Mills was at the Pit and Barrel Bar at 5 AM on November 23rd when apparently an altercation erupted with the owner, Chris Michael Ferrell, after Wayne was smoking in a non-smoking area. Everyone else in the bar went outside, and later witnesses heard gunshots fired and called police. Ferrell told police he acted in self-defense. The bar owner has a valid handgun carry permit. Chris Ferrell and Wayne Mills were reportedly friends, and they were hanging out at the bar after attending the George Jones Tribute earlier in the evening. Wayne Mills was initially mistakenly identified by witnesses as another Nashville songwriter, Clayton Mills, before the error was discovered many hours into the investigation.
Earlier Friday, Saving Country Music reported that the homicide investigation had been turned over to the Grand Jury by the Davidson County District Attorneys after the preliminary investigation had been concluded by police investigators.
December 6, 2013 @ 3:53 pm
Judging by the mugshot here it appears someone was prepared for this indictment. He’s never been this clean cut. He’s so innocent that he prepared for trial. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20131206/NEWS/312060156/Bar-owner-charged-shooting-death-Wayne-Mills
December 6, 2013 @ 5:01 pm
Well the article says he “surrendered himself” and he had to know there was a grand jury convening, so of course he was prepared.
Fair or not, people tend to associate people who are not clean cut as less law abiding and if you are going to have a mugshot that thousands of people, including potential jurors in your potential murder case will say, anyone who is not an idiot is going to clean up a bit. (Or he may have cut his hair for his discussions with the police.) Frankly, I would have shaved the mustache and cut the hair a bit more.
Doesn’t make him more innocent or guilty
December 6, 2013 @ 7:51 pm
Well, when you shoot someone in the “back” of the head- and THEY had no weapons on them- and both were intoxicated (and I am sure being friends it was not the first time they were intoxicated together) and were arguing over lighting up a cig- The fact is that discharging a firearm- licensed or not- while drunk IS illegal- especially when you are the only one with a gun- in a bar. Harsh words may have been passed back and forth- we may never know- but there is NOTHING innocent until anything about shooting anyone unarmed in the back of the head. Especially someone considered a friend who was not a violent person- unlike the arrest record of Chris Ferrell shows violence and assault. Chris went over the line when he pulled a gun knowing Wayne did not have one- that alone shows fault- PLUS- he could have went out and gotten any of the bar folks that went outside to help him if he was in danger- He didn’t- and maybe Wayne was trying to leave when he got shot. One thing is this- there were no beating marks on Chris- nothing to show he’d been beat up and had no choice but to fire- That alone shows he was irresponsible with his weapon and should be held accountable to homicide in some degreed. Hmm..Either way, when you pull a trigger on someone that is unarmed- you are meaning to cause harm or death- and that is against the law. WHY is there no statement from Chris’s friends- or He himself telling anyone details… there is nothing out on Chris’s side BUT self defense. If I were innocent- I would definitely want people to know what happened. But he is responsible for his death and should be held accountable. When there are no witnesses – it seems self defense is always the excuse.
December 7, 2013 @ 1:02 am
I hadn’t heard of either of these guy until this incident transpired. It’s quite apparent you don’t know what you’re talking about, aside from the talking points, Let’s save our judgement until some facts are sorted out.
December 7, 2013 @ 6:45 pm
OK, and what does any of that have to do with getting a haircut and having off your beard?
December 8, 2013 @ 3:01 pm
I disagree.. Wayne Mills had been arrested for DUI, evading arrest and swiping a cop with his car while in the act. So please don’t act like he was above getting crazy. That is ridiculous.
December 6, 2013 @ 5:08 pm
Assuming everything that’s been reported is true (multiple shots with one in the back of the head, Mills being unarmed etc.) it seems like the right decision, though I will suspend judgement until I see more evidence.
Anyway, Kudos to SCM for having such sober coverage of this.
February 4, 2014 @ 6:54 pm
Whoever emailed me the following,
“Actually the law was forged by people who have common since. Obviously something you lack sonas by going to a website which is pretty much hick central and gettin in a thissy about some “hicks” opinion. And by coming up with some hair brained idea that people should not have the right to defend themselves. Also may wanna think of another put down because I personally would take be called a hick as a sound like a far left straight as a circle hippy to me. Peace and love man. When violence occurs lets just all hug it out. New law. Haha no self defense.”
I am here because l likes country music. I am here because I love reading Trigger”™s blog/reviews/rant/and all the other stuff that he writes. Additionally, I am here for numerous amount of other reasons too numerous to list. Lastly, and most importantly, I am here because I am a Huge Hank 3 fan and Hank 3 is an arrow leading to this site. This site is my medicine. Now, sadly, the fact that a handful of you here might possibly subscribe to this John Wayne, shoot em up mentality, is liken to a side effect of a necessary medication.
AS FOR MY PERSONAL POSITION OF ZIMMERMAN/MARTIN
Let”™s hope it is the minority here that believes Zimmerman had a right to kill Martin. This is addressed to that small minority. First of all, there is no evidence that Zimmerman was beaten up by Martin. However, for argument sake, let”™s say he was beaten up. He was driving. Martin was walking. That puts him at a clear advantage and it puts Martin at a clear disadvantage over him. He had a gun, Martin did not. That further strengthens his advantage over Martin. He is a grown man. Martin was a kid. That further strengthens his advantage over Martin (Or at least it should have- though I doubt it did). He was told by the police to stay in his car and was ordered not to confront the kid. He disregarded the police order, came out of his car, confronted the boy and killed him. A trained cop would have gotten the kid on the ground, arrested him, (if necessary, for REMEMBER I SAID FOR ARGUMENT SAKE. Personally, I do not believe Zimmerman.), and the kid would have spent a month or two in juv. HE WOULD NOT BE DEAD!!!!!!!
Interestingly enough, I sense racism in the people who sided with Zimmerman in opposition to Martin. However, I sense NO racism with Zimmerman himself. I see Zimmerman as a cold blooded murderer who was simply looking for someone to kill. He didn”™t kill Martin because he was a bad black kid. He killed him because he wanted to take a life. As far as we”™ve come on race relations, fact is, it is still possible to get away with killing a wayward black kid ”“a fact that a killer who wishes to get away with murder might realize. Zimmerman and Ferrell are made from the same material. They are murderers.
I feel the same compassion for Trayvor Martin as I do for Wayne. However I understand that a handful here might not feel the same compassion for Martin as they do for Wayne. So I will take a sentence from the movie, “A TIME TO KILL.” Simply close your eyes and picture that Trayvor Martin was a young white boy.
February 4, 2014 @ 7:21 pm
Sonas,
I have deleted all the comments from that commenter. He clearly broke the comment rules. That is why you did not see his comment here. I apologize, I was away from the computer for a bit.
December 6, 2013 @ 7:08 pm
That is one of the scummiest mugshots I’ve ever seen. He looks like an even bigger dirtbag than Ben Roethlisberger when he was accused of that Milledgeville deal…
http://www.oddjack.com/2010/ben-roethlisberger-is-sorry-for-raping-some-girl-04-13.php
December 6, 2013 @ 10:44 pm
Truth bombs! It’s a good thing this scum is in police custody at present, for I was flipping through the new Enquirer at the store earlier and saw where none other than Blake Shelton was vowing revenge for Wayne’s death. Posturing, no doubt, but any way you slice it, the creature pictured above deprived the world of a great artist whose work never had the chance to grace the ears and touch the hearts of most of the world.
It is only after his death, thanks to the coverage here, that I’ve gotten hip to Wayne Mills’s magic, myself. So sad I never got to see him in person or have a beer with him after the show, but may he never be forgotten. May Chris Ferrell fry for his sin.
December 8, 2013 @ 3:06 pm
‘May he fry for his sin’
Glad to see you too believe in the law.. nothing has been proven yet.
December 8, 2013 @ 3:04 pm
Sure, because we all look terrific after we have just been through a situation that caused us to be under arrest in the first place.. nonsense.
December 7, 2013 @ 1:52 am
I reel for the truth in this investigation and hope it truly serves justice, some how I think that the man with the biggest wallet or influence always seem to win. I only hope that the sadly found legacy of Wayne Mills lives on in the music he lived for.
December 7, 2013 @ 10:06 am
Let’s hope this is not another Trayvon Martin case, where a murderer gets away with taking another someone’s life. Personally, this self-defense crap needs to be illegal. Any man taking another man’s life should be held accountable no matter what the circumstances surrounding it. That’s my take! Taking somebody’s life should never be an option that we have at our disposal. Personally, if my choice is between getting the crap beating out of me or taking a man’s life, I would chose getting the crap beaten out of me. I would not want to live with the knowledge that I took someone from this earth. If it was self defense as he claimed, and since Wayne Mills did not have a gun, why didn’t they just go outside and Duke it out. A couple of punches wouldn’t kill him. There is absolutely nothing that Wayne could have done inside that restaurant, that merits dumb hick to reach for his “legal” gun and taken this man’s life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 7, 2013 @ 9:39 pm
One of the dumbest things I have heard in a long time. So you are telling me if you walk in on someone raping your daughter or something and you blow the sicko to hell, you would except the murder charges? GTFO.
December 7, 2013 @ 11:31 pm
Touche, Michael. As far as what’s been presented so far, I don’t think Ferrell has a leg to stand on with a self-defense argument. None of us were in that bar and can say for sure what happened, so this is all conjecture, but whatever the situation was, it seems like something trivial that got out of hand really quick, and the way it escalated and the tragic result makes me think that either Chris Ferrell has some SERIOUS mental issues or was on some serious drugs, or a combination of the two. If that is the case, I certainly hope that an insanity plea never enters in the proceedings. This waste of space deprived the world of someone who actually contributed to society.
December 8, 2013 @ 3:15 pm
I guess the scenario that Wayne could have possibly been attempting to physically kill him or Chris feared he was.. (even though this man is 6.5 and has been known by his friends to get rowdy at times).. No, that scenario never could have happened in your world correct?
Didn’t contribute to society? How do you even know that?
Fact-
You don’t, and the verifiable FACT (which you casually gloss over) that he owned a business that had employees indeed negates your assertion that he didn’t contribute to society.
December 7, 2013 @ 1:50 pm
I can think of one legitimate self-defense case….if the 3 captives of Ariel Castro had ganged up on him. I don’t know why they didn’t do that. Perhaps, the opportunity didn’t present itself or it was ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. Totally legit in my book.
We can’t get rid of self-defense.
December 8, 2013 @ 12:27 am
kinda makes me wonder who really did pull the “BAR RESCUE” segment from the air? Chris Ferells lawyers would have every reason in the world to pull the show and it probably works in Ferells favor that the show was not completely “pulled”. Sad shit happens and the lawyers smirk all the way to the bank…then run for congressional election.
December 8, 2013 @ 3:08 pm
Most likely THE ‘NETWORK’ since Wayne friends and family petitioned it.
December 8, 2013 @ 11:33 am
That was quick. They must have a pretty strong case.
December 8, 2013 @ 11:52 am
Of course this is not what I am saying. And Michael I know you know very well this is not what I am saying. We do not need a Stand Your Grounds law to kill someone we catch raping our child. We do not need a Stand Your Ground Law to kill a burglar or anyone coming in our house and posing a danger to us or/and our family. And we do not need a stand your ground law to defend oneself outside our home either. Before this stupid law, no one has ever got arrested for killing someone they catch raping their daughter, or burglarizing their house, or defending their life outside their homes. This stand your ground law is unnecessary and is a damn failure!!!!!!! It is a dumb stupid law made by dumb stupid hicks and being used by dumb stupid hicks as an excuse to kill their fellow man. Trayvon Martin and Wayne Mills would still be alive if those two dumb stupid idiots didn’t have that dumb stupid law as a dumb stupid crutch!!!!
December 8, 2013 @ 1:21 pm
This whole situation is sad to me in many ways.
The long-term tragedy extends way beyond the 2 combatants.
I agree with Karl that the State of Tn probably has a very strong case against Ferrell.
December 9, 2013 @ 10:07 am
Stand your ground is not the same as ‘self-defense’, it’s mixing apples and oranges.
I’m not going into specifics because public comment can affect the location and when a trial is held. If the court system determines he can’t get a fair trial based on public sentiment…it’s a whole new ballgame.
There’s so much more that determines a case than “stupid laws” on the books.
There is the makeup of a jury, expertise of the attorneys, authenticity of witnesses and public outcry.
December 15, 2013 @ 1:49 pm
Stand your ground, self defense, whatever the hell you call it. It SUCKS!!!!!!!! We live in a society where killing someone has become an option at these trigger-happy idiots disposal!!!!! In most countries, it is a mandatory jail sentence if someone dies as a result of a dispute or an altercation and it is nearly impossible to justify killing someone you’re having a fight with. Zimmerman was told by the police to stay in his car and do not confront the suspect. He disregard the police advice, came out of his car and killed that kid. In just about any other country, his ass would be doing life in prison. But here, he got away with it by a bunch of southern jurors. Why, because In my opinion, historically, both the south and the west are not known for their high regards of another man’s life.
December 19, 2013 @ 4:19 pm
I have been around both of these fellas equally. Wayne did have a wild streak but it wasn’t in an angry “who’s life can I temporarily make miserable” nature, it was just more of a “fun lovin late night” kinda temperament. He wasn’t like “hey look how cool I am because I have a gun” kinda guy.
I wasn’t there & this clearly doesn’t make Chris guilty, but ever since I met him over a decade ago, he reeked of pure evil. I’ve avoided him at all costs & he’s been nothing but a mean aggressive jerk to everyone I’ve seem him encounter. Being a rude punk doesnt mean he should be in prison, but boy does it not surprise me at all that he shot someone. I hope the facts are found & justice is truly served either way. If Chris is found innocent, I still will continue to avoid him as I did before this incident. He’s just a dark person.