A Walland man has been convicted on 38 out of 39 counts, including multiple murder charges, for a devastating house fire that claimed three lives last year.

Johnny Ray Wilburn was found guilty by a Blount County jury for the January 2025 blaze on Payne Hollow Road that killed Norma, Delmar, and Cas Farley. The sole charge he escaped conviction on was an aggravated animal abuse count.

Family members previously remembered the victims—identified as an aunt, uncle, and relative—as deeply generous people who would “give you the shirt off their back.”

While the guilt phase has concluded, the jury remains locked in deliberations to determine Wilburn’s final punishment: life in prison or life without the possibility of parole. His official sentencing is scheduled for January 7.