Gibson County sheriff discusses update in double homicide

UPDATE (9/12/25): Defendant found guilty of 2021 double homicide

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas is discussing the latest update in last week’s double homicide.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Monday that a Milan man had been arrested in connection with the double homicide in Gibson County.

The TBI says Fredrick Yates Jr. was charged with the murder of Diamond Love, of Milan, and Marcus Smith Jr., of Humboldt, on Aug. 23.

Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas says Yates had a connection with Love, making him a person of interest from the beginning.

“From talking to different people associated with it, we knew he had been in a relationship with Ms. Love previously. All of the arrows immediately pointed toward Mr. Yates as a person we need to speak to about it,” Thomas said.

Thomas says the relationship between Love and Yates was volatile. And authorities had already had an encounter with Yates prior to the murder.

“A week before the homicide, they were out there asking him to leave the property. Love was asking him to leave and they were arguing. There was a history there between them that unfortunately led to this,” Thomas said.

Both the sheriff’s department and the TBI worked to connect Yates with the murder, and several eyewitness accounts placed him at the scene during the homicide.

Thomas says that is when they issued a warrant for his arrest with the U.S. Marshals Service.

By Monday, they had Yates in custody.

“Mr. Yates is now in custody in Catoosa County, Georgia, which is just across the state line from Chattanooga. He was taken into custody yesterday by the U.S. Marshals Task Force just before lunch yesterday,” Thomas said.

Yates is being charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of possession with a firearm with intent to go armed, and one count of aggravated burglary.

You can read the news release from the TBI here.