Tennessee

Tennessee man convicted for murdering Atlanta man he met through online gaming

Published

2 years ago

February 11, 2024

Tennessee man convicted for murdering Atlanta man he met through online gaming

ATLANTA — A Chattanooga, Tenn. man has been convicted for the murder of an Atlanta man he met through online gaming.

Jonathan Wesley “Wes” Mansfield, 26, is charged with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and burglary in the first degree stemming from an incident on Feb. 1, 2019.

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Police say victim German “Lee” Castillo, 42, called 911 just before 6:30 p.m. to report that the back door of his home was open and two Xboxes were missing.

Minutes later, investigators say Castillo called back to say he was not sure whether Mansfield was still in the house and that he considered Mansfield to be a threat to him.

When police arrived on scene at Hilburn Drive SE around 7:45 p.m., they found Castillo dead, lying in a pool of blood underneath his carport. He was stabbed several times and sustained blunt force trauma to his head, police said.

During their investigation, police noticed Castillo’s wallet, multiple gaming consoles, gaming accessories and other electronics were missing, along with his black Toyota Corolla.

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Castillo’s husband told police they met Mansfield online through gaming and had paid for Mansfield’s bus tickets to travel from Chattanooga to Atlanta to spend several weekends with them.

Their relationship soured after Castillo learned Mansfield attempted to make unauthorized charges on Castillo’s debit card. They cut ties with him shortly after.

On Feb. 2, 2019 investigators found Castillo’s Toyota abandoned in an alley in Chattanooga and blood was found on the steering wheel, hood and windshield of the car, investigators said.

Using phone data, police were able to track Mansfield’s movements on Feb. 1 from Chattanooga to the crime scene and back. Mansfield was arrested at a local Chattanooga hospital after he was treated for multiple cuts on his hands.

Police say he claimed self-defense as his reasoning for killing Castillo.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in the coming weeks.

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Tennessee

Alex Golesh hires former Tennessee analyst as Auburn’s coordinator

Published

1 hour ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Alex Golesh hires former Tennessee analyst as Auburn’s coordinator

Alex Golesh was introduced as Auburn’s head coach on Dec. 1. He served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach from 2021-22.

Golesh announced the hiring of Jacob Bronowski as Auburn’s special teams coordinator. He served as the Vols’ special teams analyst in 2021 under head coach Josh Heupel. Bronowski was also under Heupel at UCF in 2020 as special teams quality control.

“His track record is outstanding,” Golesh said of Bronowski. “He developed multiple national award contenders, including a Lou Groza Award winner, and has led some of the top special teams units in the country.

“I saw up close when we worked together before that coach Bronowski understands that special teams can be a championship difference-maker, and he’s proven he can develop elite specialists. He brings exactly the attention to detail and relentless work ethic we need in our program.”

Auburn will play at Tennessee on Oct. 3, 2026.

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Tennessee

Tennessee football’s 2026 schedule complete with opponents, dates

Published

13 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee football’s 2026 schedule complete with opponents, dates

Tennessee football will host Lane Kiffin, Alex Golesh and possibly Arch Manning at Neyland Stadium in the 2026 season.

UT’s opponents for the next four seasons were previously announced. On Dec. 11, the SEC released the dates of every conference game, providing the full picture of the 2026 schedule.

Game times and television designations will be announced later.

Texas will make its first trip ever to Tennessee on Sept. 26. Manning, the Longhorns quarterback, is expected to return for the 2026 season rather than enter the NFL draft. If so, he’ll face the Vols on the home turf of his uncle, legendary quarterback Peyton Manning.

Golesh, the former UT offensive coordinator, is Auburn’s new coach. He will return to Knoxville for an Oct. 3 game.

Alabama will play at Tennessee on Oct. 17, continuing their Third Saturday in October rivalry game.

Kiffin, the polarizing former UT coach, is now coaching LSU after bolting Ole Miss after the regular season ended. He will return to Knoxville for a Nov. 21 game. Three of the five SEC teams visiting Neyland Stadium will have a first-year coach, including Kentucky’s Will Stein on Nov. 7.

Tennessee will play Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt as annual SEC opponents in the league’s new nine-game conference schedule. Its other six opponents will rotate each season. That means each school will play every SEC opponent home and away every four years.

Tennessee will have one open week on Oct. 31 and thus won’t play on Halloween.

Here is Tennessee’s week-to-week schedule for the 2026 season.

Tennessee football 2026 schedule

Sept. 5: Furman
Sept. 12: At Georgia Tech
Sept. 19: Kennesaw State
Sept. 26: Texas*
Oct. 3: Auburn*
Oct. 10: At Arkansas*
Oct. 17: Alabama*
Oct. 24: At South Carolina*
Oct. 31: Open
Nov. 7: Kentucky*
Nov. 14: At Texas A&M*
Nov. 21: LSU*
Nov. 28: At Vanderbilt*

*SEC game

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Tennessee

Dragos Cazacu signs with Tennessee

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee announced the signing of graduate student Dragos Cazacu on Wednesday. He is from Constanta, Romania.

“Dragos is someone we believe can translate all of his professional experience and success seamlessly to high level college tennis,” Tennessee associate head coach Matt Lucas said. “He’s a very mature young man who has finished university in Romania, so we know the type of student athlete we are getting. Winning ITF Pro Circuit titles, all while doing his degree back home shows he will transition nicely to Tennessee in January.”

Cazacu competed on the ATP Tour prior to Tennessee. His highest ranking was No. 763 in singles and No. 495 in doubles.

Tennessee will begin its spring men’s tennis season versus ETSU on Jan. 9, 2026 at Goodfriend Tennis Center. SEC competition will begin Feb. 21, 2026 at Kentucky.

The Vols’ home opener in SEC play is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2026 versus Auburn at Goodfriend Tennis Center.

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