Roane County, TN (WOKI / WVLT) – Two men are facing second-degree murder charges in Roane County after a fight in Harriman allegedly led to a man’s death.
According to court documents, Harriman Police responded to a fight in progress call in the 1000 block of South Roane Street on May 8. When officers arrived, they found 53-year-old Cecil Baptiste unconscious while bystanders performed CPR.
Investigators say Baptiste had been involved in a fight with 48-year-old Charles Sargent and 31-year-old Allen Copley, who were both still at the scene when officers arrived.
Witnesses told police that Copley placed Baptiste in a chokehold and took him to the ground, while Sargent allegedly struck him multiple times during the altercation.
Baptiste was transported to Roane Medical Center and later to UT Medical Center, where he died on May 18. An autopsy determined the cause of death as anoxic encephalopathy due to complications from a carotid neck restraint during the fight.
Authorities subsequently charged both Sargent and Copley with aggravated assault and second-degree murder. They are each being held on $150,000 bond.
