By Ashley Benkarski
MURFREESBORO, TN — Terrell “Tee” Ray had been celebrating his 30th birthday with family and friends, ending the night at his girlfriend’s apartment at 2850 Middle Tennessee Boulevard in Murfreesboro.
By all accounts the night of Aug. 2 last year should have ended on a happy note, but the early hours of the morning instead brought heartache.
Terrell had been standing outside his girlfriend’s place at the Villager Apartments near Middle Tennessee State University, his car, a Mustang, parked nearby. For reasons still unknown, shots rang out and Terrell was lying on the pavement.
The killer(s) took Terrell’s car, one of his most prized possessions, and drove away. The car would later be found by police in Nashville abandoned in the area of Vanderbilt University, leaving the only motive for the murder obsolete.
It’s been more than a year and police still have no leads on the identity of the shooter.
A longtime member of Greater Revelations Baptist church in Nashville, Terrell could often be found at the church adjusting sound equipment and performing other duties.
Most importantly, he was a father to a vibrant 10-year-old girl who shouldn’t have to live without her dad in her life.
Terrell’s mother, Trina Anderson, issued a plea prior to a vigil for Terrell held at Greater Revelations Aug. 2:
“Seems like yesterday it was 4 a.m. when the call came in. I still hear myself screaming, ‘Where is he? Where is he?’ As a mother you think, ‘If I can just get to him I can give him strength to pull through anything.’ Nothing can ever fill that void. Nothing can heal that pain.”
If you or anyone you know has information on the murder of Terrell Ray, you are urged to contact Murfreesboro Police Detective Julia Cox at 629-201-5514. “Remember any information is important. What you may think is minor can be the major breakthrough,” Anderson said.