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On June 23, 2009, Tommy Lee Kellum was tragically murdered in his home in Lake City, Florida, by Brenda Watson, his former partner. He was shot five times by Brenda. The fight intensified after Kellum shut off the electricity in their apartment when Watson returned from an evening out.
During the confrontation, Watson had armed herself with a .22-caliber rifle and shot Kellum as he left the bathroom. Reports say he was hit in the chest, abdomen, shoulder, back, and head. The case is being explored in Snapped season 35 episode 1. The synopsis of the episode reads,
"When a beloved grandfather is found shot dead in his Florida home, detectives fear his missing ex-wife is also in danger; as they uncover a tangled web of romance, infidelity and betrayal, new questions arise about her involvement in the murder."
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The episode aired on January 5, 2025, on Oxygen. Brenda Watson is serving time for her conviction related to the murder of Tommy Lee Kellum in 2009. The latest available records indicate that she is still incarcerated. She is serving at least 25 years to life in prison for the murder conviction she received when she was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder on July 17, 2012.
The details of the murder
On June 23, 2009, a domestic argument turned deadly when Brenda Watson fatally shot Tommy Lee Kellum five times inside their common residence. According to prosecutors, the fight started after Kellum turned off the electricity in the house.
The fatal shots hit Kellum in various parts of the body: chest, abdomen, shoulder, back, and head. Watson's behavior was a result of increasing violence in their relationship.
Her attorney, Blair Payne, described Kellum as "a bully" who was physically abusive, as per Lake City Reporter. According to prosecutor Roberta Getzan, Watson "basically started to shoot until the gun would shoot no more."
Legal proceedings, conviction, and arrest of Brenda Watson
After the murder, Brenda Watson tried to cover up her crime. As per New Times Broward-Palm Beach, she left in Kellum's truck, and the investigators thought that she was trying to run away to Canada. On June 26, 2009, she was arrested in Erie, Pennsylvania, on a probation violation and later confessed to killing Kellum.
The truck Watson had stolen and abandoned was recovered in Broward County; this evidence helped the investigators to crack the case. Brenda Watson chose to have a non-jury trial and took the plea before Circuit Judge David Fina. According to the prosecution, there was enough reason for their relationship to end long before things turned deadly.
On July 17, 2012, Brenda Watson was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder. She was acquitted on two counts of grand theft and sentenced to atleast 25 years in prison. The court observed that she was guilty of murder by shooting a firearm that caused death. Her defense made her a victim of continuous abuse.
Aftermath
Kellum's family had mixed feelings about the verdict. According to one family member, Watson could have left the relationship long before it became fatal. According to a Lake City Reporter article published on July 18, 2012, Cassandra Kellum, Tommy Lee Kellum's daughter from Tallahassee, expressed her thoughts on the verdict following the trial of Brenda Watson.
She said she was "satisfied with the verdict" and felt the state attorneys did an effective job prosecuting the case. Cassandra pointed out several important points about her family's perspective. The family had long-standing animosity towards Brenda Watson. They thought Watson would have saved his life if he had left the relationship years ago. The verdict will not give complete closure.
In fact, Cassandra stressed that the actual closure would be on the day of sentencing. She pointed out explicitly, "It's not going to give us any closure until the sentencing day—that's when we'll get closure."
The murder of Tommy Lee Kellum was explored in the latest episode of Snapped season 5 on Oxygen on January 5, 2025.
