By Bryan Robinson - CourtTV.com

July 30, 1999

FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. - After convicting Jacob Davis of first-degree murder for the May 1998 shooting death of his romantic rival Nick Creson, a Tennessee jury sentenced the 19-year-old to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 51 years. Spared life without parole, Davis will be at least 70 years old before he can be released from prison.

In addition to first-degree murder, Davis also was convicted of reckless endangerment and illegal weapons possession on school property. He received a one-year sentence for those charges, which will be served concurrently with his life sentence.

Love for one girl, Tonya Bishop, brought about the shooting at Lincoln County High School and ended the lives of Creson and, to an extent, Davis. An honor student with no prior criminal record, Davis was angered when he learned Creson had slept with Bishop, and prosecutors believed that rage prompted him to ponder — and carry out — the shooting.

Davis’ attorneys did not deny that he killed Creson. But they insisted Davis was so severely depressed over Bishop’s infidelity that he suffered from diminished capacity and could not form the intent to kill Creson. The defense, led by attorney Ray Fraley, suggested that Davis did not fully realize what he was doing when he shot Creson. Fraley sought a conviction of a lesser charge of second-degree murder or manslaughter.

But prosecutors largely relied on letters Davis wrote to Bishop and his physics teacher Tiffany Roberts to prove that he planned Creson’s death. Before the shooting, Davis wrote a letter to Bishop where he mentioned his desire to shoot Creson and write the lyrics of a rock song on his truck in Creson’s blood. The letters, prosecutors said, illustrated Davis’ murderous intent and jurors agreed. Prosecution psychiatrists agreed that Davis suffered from depression at the time of the slaying, but not so severely that he could not form intent to kill.

During Davis’ sentencing, prosecutors sought life without parole by alleging one aggravating factor, that he put the lives of other students in danger when he killed Creson. Lincoln County High School football coach Louis Thompson testified that dozens of students were present when Davis shot Creson three times. In addition, a student eyewitness, Brad Schrimsher, suggested that he could have been shot by Davis when he told jurors that he felt something burn against his face as Creson was gunned down.

However, at the sentencing, Davis’ mother, Phyllis Davis, suggested to jurors that her son felt remorse after the shooting and did not fully realize the consequences of his actions. Jacob, Mrs. Davis testified, was in shock after the shooting and did not initially know he had killed Creson. Correction officer Chris Thornton added that Jacob Davis had been a "model prisoner" since his incarceration and that he spends most of his time in isolation, drugged on antidepressants.

Since the incident, Bishop has moved away from her Lincoln County community and settled in Alabama. Bishop claims she never intended to be the cause of Creson’s murder, but some members of her now-former community hold her responsible, at least in part, for the tragedy.