Courts in the area are trying catching up from a backlog in numerous cases as a result of the pandemic. A Cumberland County criminal court judge received updates Friday (July 16, 2021) from defense attorneys and prosecutors regarding four charged with murder in different incidents.

They included:

DIANA LYNN GROSSO, age 59, faces second-degree murder. She allegedly provided a substance containing fentanyl to 58-year-old Julia Meade of Crossville in July 2018. The victim later died reportedly from toxic levels of the drug. In court Friday, the judge set the next date in the case of September 3, 2021. As of July 19, 2021, Grosso is out of jail on bond.

ROBERT DAVID MORSE, age 21, stands accused of the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Matthew Musser at a home in September 2020. Authorities say Musser sustained multiple gunshot wounds. In court Friday, the judge scheduled December 1, 2021, for the next court date for Morse. He remains in the Cumberland County jail as of July 19, 2021 under a 1 million dollar bond.

JUDE ROD PENNINGTON, age 42, is charged with first-degree murder. It is based on a November 2019 incident where 39-year-old Travis Allon Sinard of Crossville was fatally shot after a domestic argument on Colby Circle in the Rinnie area. First responders found Pennington wounded in a pickup truck after he fled the scene closed to the area of Highway 127 North. He sustained a gunshot wound to the right shoulder and leg. Sinard was located in the front yard of the home on Colby Circle. He reportedly suffered from a wound to the head and hand. Both were flown to an area hospital for treatment. Sinard passed away and Pennington recovered. Pennington’s next court date is scheduled for December 1, 2021. As of last Friday, he was out of jail on bond.

JOHN MICHAEL POSS, age 33, was on the TBI 10 Most Wanted list when he was captured in March 2021 in Warren County by many law enforcement agencies. Cumberland County Sheriff Casey Cox says Poss was sought in connection to the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Austin Shane Lewis at a home on Neverfail Road in September 2020. In court Friday, the judge set the next court date for Poss of October 1, 2021. Poss remains in jail as of July 19, 2021 under a half million dollar bond.