Angry that his mom took away his cell phone, a Tennessee teen opened fire on her as she slept: reports

A teenager in Tennessee is accused of planning the murder of his mother and shooting her to death while she slept because she took away his phone, authorities said.

On April 20, 2020, deputies in Rocky Top responded to a report of an unresponsive woman in a home and found the victim, Sandy Willis, 38, in her bed with fatal gunshot wounds, WATE-TV reported.

During the investigation into Willis’ death, deputies identified the woman’s then-16-year-old son, Shawn T. Willis, as a suspect.

During questioning, the high school junior allegedly admitted to sneaking into his sleeping mother’s bedroom, taking her pistol off the nightstand, loading it in another room and then returning and shooting her twice, WATE-TV reported, citing a juvenile court document.

“The proof will show that this defendant was angry with his mother, Sandy Willis, for punishing him by taking his cell phone away from him,” court records state, according to WBIR-TV.

After the murder, the teenager called his girlfriend “to report his mother was in the bed with blood on her,” and her father came to check on Sandy Willis and discovered her dead, the records state.

Shawn Willis, now 18, faces a charge of first-degree murder and is being held in the Anderson County Jail on a $1 million bond.

The case has been transferred to adult court and his next appearance is scheduled for Dec. 3.