2 charged in deadly Henry Co. shooting

HENRY COUNTY, Tenn. — Two men are now behind bars after a Saturday night shooting in Puryear leaves one man dead.

Nelson, left, and Vulpitta

Phillip Nelson, 19, of Paris is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Joshua Hadra, according to a release from the Henry County Sheriff’s Department. He is being held on $500,000 bond.

Ralph Vulpitta, 30, of Cottage Grove is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. He is being held on $400,000 bond.

Both men are scheduled to appear Tuesday in general sessions court.

The shooting occurred around 8:30 p.m. Saturday outside the Mini Mart convenience store in Puryear. Authorities have previously said they do not believe the shooting was random and that Hadra was targeted.

“We are extremely happy to have made these arrests so early in the investigation and hope that this provides from kind of relief to the victim’s family, to which our thoughts and prayers remain,” Sheriff Monte Belew said in the release. “This would not have been possible had it not been for the joint effort between the HCSO Criminal Investigation Division, the TBI, Puryear Police Dept. and investigators with the District Attorney’s Office. Many, many man hours have been put in by all.”