Daughter seeks justice in search for alleged murder suspect

JACKSON, Tenn. — The daughter of the woman killed over the weekend says she wants the community to help in finding the accused killer and find justice for her mother.

“Nobody, especially a woman, and most especially an elderly woman should ever have to go through that,” said Linda Murphy, the daughter of 70-year-old Mary Kelly.

Saturday around 9 p.m., Jackson police received a call about an assault happening on Hollywood Drive.

When police arrived, they found Kelly unresponsive.

“They were supposed to be like roommates, I guess. But he kind of fixated on her and decided he wanted to have a relationship with her and she didn’t. She got scammed out of her check and didn’t have money to pay her part of the rent, and that’s when the trouble really started,” Murphy said.

A witness told police 58-year-old Randall Lee Rose was assaulting Kelly before running into a wooded area between Old Hickory Boulevard and North Parkway.

Murphy says when she saw her mother, she had bruises everywhere.

“All over her body. Defensive wounds, cuts on her feet and arms where she tried to defend herself and tried to fight back,” Murphy said.

In an unrelated case, Rose was found guilty of two counts of rape in 2013, but was released on parole in April 2020.

Jackson police say he’s now wanted for first-degree murder in connection to Kelly’s death.

Murphy says she is thankful she was able to be with her mother during the last moments.

“I held her hand when she took her last breath. I think she may have known that I was there, but I will never know. I’ll never know,” Murphy said.

Jackson police are offering a reward for any information that leads to his arrest.

If you have any information call Jackson police (731) 425-8400 or Crime Stoppers at (731) 424-8477.

A GoFundMe has also been set up by Murphy.