Tenn. sex offender convicted of fatally strangling missing woman in motel in 2013 and hiding her body

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (TCN) — A 62-year-old man was recently convicted of killing a 58-year-old woman who had been missing for over a decade.

On Feb. 7, the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office announced that Randall Rose entered a plea deal for first-degree murder and a judge sentenced him to life in prison. Rose is already serving another life sentence for first-degree murder in a separate case out of Madison County.

According to the Knoxville Police Department, family members reported Sharon Leinart missing in March 2013. Leinart and her relatives spoke “nearly daily” until Jan. 23, 2013, when “all communication ended, as did all financial activity.” Police said Leinart was homeless and was last seen at Volunteer Ministries. A family member reportedly spoke with Leinart in late January and claimed she was staying at a Knoxville-area motel.

Investigators submitted familial DNA to the National Missing and Unidentified Person System, but the case went cold.

During an October 2023 interview about the Madison County slaying, Rose reportedly admitted to fatally strangling another woman at the Sunset Motel and hiding her body. The District Attorney General’s Office said his statement matched the description of Leinart, but her remains have not yet been found. Prosecutors said Leinart worked as an emergency nurse and volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol.

District Attorney General Charme Allen stated, “After a decade of wondering what happened to their loved one, I hope the judgment in this case allows this family to find some measure of peace.”

Tennessee Sex Offender Registry records show that Rose also has two rape convictions.

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