Suspect’s mother speaks after court appearance for Brian McKenzie murder

JACKSON, Tenn. — William Brian McKenzie went missing in September 2019, and for nearly two years, search crews were not able to find any trace of him.

Photo: William Brian McKenzie

That’s until August 2021, when a resident saw the roof of a car in a pond near Hopper Barker Road, later identified as belonging to McKenzie.

On February 28, 2022, Keenan Murphy was indicted for the murder of McKenzie.

Monday morning, Murphy showed in court for trial, however, the date was pushed back.

His mother Victoria Murphy says her unanswered questions still haunt her. She says she has tried to get her son help as he grew up.

“Me being a mother, I tried everything I could do to try to get mental help with his mental issues, and he’s kind of one of the guys that slipped through the cracks,” Victoria said. “I hate that lives were lost in this.”

She says she is hurting for both families involved.

“Children were lost, parents lost their children and my heart goes out to each and every one of them,” Victoria said.

We also reached out to Brian McKenzie’s mother, Frances Gaines, who was too upset to speak on camera at this time. One of the reasons being the next court date is September 27, the three-year anniversary of Brian going missing.

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News will continue to stay updated on this case and provide more details as they become available.

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