BBBTV12 Serving Anderson, Roane, and Morgan Counties
CLINTON, Tenn. — A jury has found Jason Robert Dockery guilty on all charges, including first-degree murder, in the 2023 killing of Shysti Mayberry following a two-week trial in Anderson County.
According to the Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, the case began on Sept. 12, 2023, when deputies with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office responded to Moore’s Gap Road and discovered Mayberry suffering from a fatal gunshot wound beside the roadway. Investigators immediately launched a homicide investigation and also began searching for Mayberry’s missing infant child.
Authorities said the investigation led to a multi-state manhunt that ended two days later when Dockery was arrested in Lee County, Virginia. During that search, law enforcement also safely recovered Mayberry’s infant. Detective Sgt. Don Scuglia led the investigation, which involved numerous deputies and multiple law enforcement agencies.
An Anderson County Grand Jury later returned an indictment charging Dockery with one count of first-degree murder, two additional counts of first-degree murder in the perpetration of a kidnapping, three counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and reckless endangerment involving the discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle. Dockery has remained in custody since his arrest in 2024.
Following the two-week trial, the jury convicted Dockery on all counts. Judge Ryan Spitzer presided over the proceedings. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole during the upcoming sentencing phase.
District Attorney General Dave Clark credited the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Anderson County EMS, Knox County Regional Forensic Center, Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department, Lee County, Virginia Sheriff’s Department, and numerous other agencies for their work throughout the investigation and apprehension of Dockery.
Assistant District Attorneys Kevin J. Allen and Brandon K. Pelizzari prosecuted the case. Victim Witness Coordinator Katherine Sellers and Criminal Investigator Jock Coleman also assisted with the prosecution.
In a statement following the verdict, Clark called the case “demanding,” citing the complex crime scene investigation, multi-agency manhunt, and Amber Alert response that ultimately resulted in the safe recovery of the infant and Dockery’s conviction.
“We are grateful to everyone involved in this case for bringing justice to the victim and her grieving family. We continue to send our condolences to the family,” Clark said.
