Liner could face death penalty if convicted of Cleveland realtor and ex-wife’s murder

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF)- Back on January 27th, Karen Liner, a beloved Cleveland realtor was murdered at her Arthur Lane home.

Her ex-husband, Craig Liner, is charged with first degree murder in her killing.

It was early on that January morning as Ring surveillance video showed a vehicle pulling into Karen Liner’s driveway.

What was shown next has shaken an entire community, and left those who knew both the victim and the defendant stunned.

Some of the last words Karen Liner spoke on a 911 call were, “I’m at 135 Arthur Lane. No, no, Craig, please stop!”

Shortly thereafter, multiple gunshots rang out on that 911 call, and she went silent.

The lead prosecutor, Ashley Zepada, in the case says this is just one piece of evidence that demonstrates the horrifying nature of the act they believe Craig Liner committed.

“You can see the garage door closing, and the defendant scurries and ducks under the door to get into the garage, even though Karen is actively closing it… Her telling him to get out and that he couldn’t be there and screaming and fighting for her life. So the State submits that there is sufficient proof that she did not consent to him being in that garage,” said Zepada.

The 911 call and surveillance video showed the murder occurred at 8:44 a.m.

Roughly 15 minutes later, Craig Liner’s first cousin, Jay Collins, returned to his home to find Liner acting unusually.

Collins: He said, “Well, it’s over.” I said, “Wait, what are you doing? What do you mean that I finished it?” I was in a state of shock at that point, I was like, “What?”

Collins said Craig Liner arrived at his home driving his son’s Lincoln vehicle, then left driving his personal Range Rover.

Collins said Liner wanted to leave three firearms at his house, including a 40 caliber that he used to quote, “take care of his problem.”

Collins recalled, “He didn’t act like he’d done anything… I said, “You’ve got to be kidding.” I said, “Go on.”

Zepada mentioned that Liner had recently lost his job as a pharmacist, a fact his family and friends had not known.

Up to this point in the proceedings, Bradley County Judge Clay Collins had not set a bond for Liner until a bond hearing could be held.

Mr. Liner’s attorney, Matthew Rogers, argued the only reason he believes his client doesn’t have a bond in this case is due to the public pressure of this whole situation.

Rogers remarked, “But if this happened between two exes down on Wildwood in a different part of town between people that didn’t have resources, between people that were unknown, this would be a mere blurb on the news.”

Rogers had previously asked Judge Collins to recuse himself because he claimed the judge knew Karen Liner.

However, the State argued that if he were released on bond, he could pose a danger to surviving family members.

One of those family members, Margaret Hopper, said, “We would all be terrified at the thought that he would be out in the community. The only solace that we have currently is that he is behind bars.”\

This case has been bound over to a grand jury, and Judge Collins upgraded this case to a capital murder.

That means no bond, and if convicted, Craig Liner could face the death penalty.