The Lillelid murders were a series of killings that took place in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. Three members of the Lillelid family were killed on April 6, 1997. Vidar Lillelid (aged 34), Delfina Lillelid (aged 28), their daughter Tabitha (aged 6), and son Peter (aged 2) were shot on a deserted rural road near Baileyton after a carjacking committed by a group of youths. Vidar and Delfina were found dead at the scene, while Tabitha died after being transported to the hospital. Peter survived, but, as a result of the shooting, was left with disabilities. Six young people from Kentucky, including two minors, were convicted of felony murder for the three deaths. Each received three life sentences, and an additional sentence of 25 years for the attempted murder of Peter.
Background
Vidar Lillelid grew up in Bergen, Norway, and in 1985 moved to the United States. In 1989, Vidar married Delfina Zelaya, a first-generation Honduran-American from New York City, whom he had met through their common involvement in the Jehovah's Witnesses.. Vidar and Delfina would have two children: Tabitha, born in 1990, and Peter, born in 1995.
Murders
On April 6, 1997, six young people, ages 14 to 20, from Pikeville, Kentucky—Jason Bryant, Natasha Cornett, Dean Mullins, Joseph Risner, Crystal Sturgill, and Karen Howell—were travelling to New Orleans, Louisiana. Shortly after leaving Pikeville, they realized that Risner's car would likely not make it to New Orleans. They discussed stealing a vehicle from a parking lot or a dealership. The group was armed with two handguns, one 9 mm and the other .25 caliber.
At a rest stop along Interstate 81 outside Baileyton, in rural Greene County, Tennessee, eyewitnesses observed six youths in conversation with the Lillelid family, who were returning from a religious convention. Vidar, carrying his son Peter, had approached Cornett and Howell to discuss his religious views. Risner and Bryant joined the conversation. At some point, Risner displayed one of the guns and said, "I hate to do you this way, but we are going to have to take you with us for your van." As Risner directed the Lillelid family into their van, Vidar pleaded with the group, offering his keys and wallet in exchange for being left at the rest stop, but Risner refused.
Risner, Bryant, Howell, and Cornett rode in the van with the Lillelids. Vidar drove while Risner, holding the gun on him, sat in the passenger seat. Mullins and Sturgill followed in Risner's car. In an attempt to calm her children, Delfina began to sing; Bryant reportedly ordered her to stop. Risner directed the Lillelids first to the interstate and then to a secluded road at the next exit, Payne Hollow Lane, near Greeneville. The Lillelids were then lined up against a ditch along the road, where they were shot. Checking the bodies, Bryant stated, "They're still fucking alive," and shot them again.
Arrest
After removing the license plates from Risner's car, the group abandoned it at the crime scene. They continued their journey towards New Orleans in the van, leaving the family for dead. They stopped at a Waffle House while traveling through Georgia, but left the restaurant when a group of police officers arrived. They decided to drive into Mexico instead of going to New Orleans. When they reached the border, they were initially denied admittance because they did not have the proper forms of identification, but eventually found a way into the country. While in Mexico, Bryant was shot in the hand and leg, and the group was stopped by the Mexican police. When they claimed they were lost, the officers ordered the group out of the van and conducted a search, finding a knife, as well as a photo album belonging to the Lillelid family. They ordered the group to re-enter the United States, where American border patrol officers searched them and subsequently took them to an Arizona jail. At the time of their arrest, two days after the murders, several of them had personal items belonging to the Lillelids in their possession.