A Louisville man will serve 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Monday, Nov. 4 to murdering his friend earlier this year. Benjamin Michael Absher, 29, was first arrested in May of 2024.
He will be required to serve his entire sentence in prison and will be taxed with the court costs of his case.
Absher, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, was initially arrested on a charge of attempted first-degree murder May 8 after deputies with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting in Louisville. Upon arrival, they found 63-year-old Sammy E. Garland Jr. outside his home. According to a police report, he was suffering from gunshot wounds, including one to his eye, and was conscious when law enforcement arrived.
Absher told deputies he’d fired the shots, believing Garland had sexually assaulted him. According to court documents, the two shared an address. As Garland was rushed to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, witnesses told investigators that Absher had quarreled with the older man prior to the shooting.