Tennessee
Tennessee repeat felon charged in Rhodes College student's 2021 murder learns his fate
A repeat felon charged in connection with a Rhodes College student’s 2021 murder and home invasion pleaded guilty on Monday and received his prison sentence.
Rainess Holmes, now 40, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to serve 100% of a 20-year prison sentence, plus a combined nine years for three separate burglary cases.
Holmes, a career criminal with charges dating back to 2005, was one of four men who broke into a Memphis home housing several college students, including 22-year-old senior Andrew “Drew” Rainer, at 5:40 a.m. on Oct. 3, 2021, Shelby County court records state.
The surviving residents told Memphis police that four men with hoodies drawn over their faces kicked in their door and demanded the students’ electronics.
FUGITIVE ARRESTED AFTER POSTING VIDEO TAUNTING POLICE ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO ‘LOCATE’ HIM
Rainess Holmes, now 40, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to serve 100% of a 20-year prison sentence, plus a combined nine years for three separate burglary cases. (Memphis PD)
“Andrew Rainer was told to type in the pass code to his iPad and when he failed to do so was shot,” the arrest affidavit states.
The suspects left the home with “several phones, gaming systems, video games” and other electronics belonging to the victims, police said.
MAN CHARGED WITH MAKING THREATS AGAINST ICE AGENTS, DHS SEC KRISTI NOEM IN ‘ALARMING’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
“Andrew Rainer was told to type in the pass code to his iPad and when he failed to do so was shot,” the arrest affidavit states. (Canale Funeral Directors)
When Memphis police arrived at the scene, they found Rainer dead with a gunshot wound at the bottom of a staircase inside the home.
One of the residents of the home was able to track his iPad’s location to a hotel, where authorities were able to establish a perimeter and eventually track down Holmes, but he fled the area, “jumped a drainage ditch and escaped the area.” He was briefly placed on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted list and was detained two days later on Oct. 5.
TEXAS DAD’S TIKTOK VIDEOS HELPED LEAD POLICE TO SON’S SUSPECTED KILLER: ‘IT PAID OFF’
Holmes, a career criminal with charges dating back to 2005, was one of four men who broke into a Memphis home housing several college students, including 22-year-old senior Andrew “Drew” Rainer, at 5:40 a.m. on Oct. 3, 2021, Shelby County court records state. (Google Maps)
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said in a Monday statement that it “worked very closely” with Rainer’s family “throughout the process.”
“They were present in court and supportive of the outcome,” the DA’s office said.
COVENANT SCHOOL TRANS SHOOTER PLOTTED NASHVILLE ATTACK FOR YEARS, KEPT NOTEBOOKS WITH PLANS: FINAL REPORT
Holmes has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2005. (TBI)
Holmes was not the suspect who fatally shot Rainer. Memphis police are still searching for the other three suspects involved in the home invasion and murder.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to any additional arrests in the case.
NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING MANIFESTO: WHY KILLERS WRITE ABOUT MOTIVES
A memorial fund created in Rainer’s name called “Live Like Drew” says he “loved with great intensity, and showed enormous courage and self-sacrifice.” (Live Like Drew)
“One arrest has been made relative to this homicide,” Major Webb Kirkdoffer of the Memphis Police Department’s Homicide Bureau said in a statement. “However, investigators still need the public’s help identifying additional individuals who are responsible for Rainer’s murder.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A memorial fund created in Rainer’s name called “Live Like Drew” says he “loved with great intensity, and showed enormous courage and self-sacrifice.” He was also an accomplished musician who played in an 80s rock band, an avid reader, an Eagle Scout, and a devoted member of the Catholic Church, according to his obituary.
“Drew was a loving son, brother, nephew, cousin and friend. He was a kind, cheerful, intelligent and outgoing young man, who was loved by his friends,” his obituary said.
How Tennessee basketball made it back to third straight Elite Eight appearance
Tennessee basketball wanted to exploit Iowa State’s lack of depth in its 76-62 Men’s NCAA Tournament win
For the third straight season, Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball in the Elite Eight. After Sunday, March 29’s game against No. 1 Michigan, he’s hoping to have taken the Vols where they’ve never been before.
Despite becoming a March Madness fixture, the Tennessee Vols have never, in their history, made the Final Four. Despite a pedigree of modest success, including 11 regular season SEC titles and and five conference tournament championships (most recently in 2022), Tennessee has not been able to cross the threshold to college basketball’s most coveted weekend.
The Barnes era marks the closest Tennessee has come, with consistency, even though its best shot arguably came before Barnes’ time. The Vols’ first Elite Eight trip was under Bruce Pearl in 2010, while Barnes was still roaming the Longhorns bench in Texas.
Barnes has taken Tennessee to the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Elite Eights. There’s an argument to be made 2026 is his most impressive run yet, as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest bracket.
The Vols went as a No. 2 seed in both 2024 and 2025, ultimately losing to the No. 1 seeds of their respective brackets in the Elite Eight. While it could be easy to think it will be more of the same Sunday against No. 1 Michigan, Tennessee has now taken down No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State to get to this point. So perhaps one more upset is in store.
Has Tennessee basketball ever made a Final Four?
Tennessee has not made a Final Four in its history, making it one of five SEC schools to not get to the national semifinal round.
The others are Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Alabama basketball made its first Final Four in 2024.
Tennessee basketball Elite Eight record
The Vols are 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with losses in 2010, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Here’s a look at their full history in the fourth full round of the tournament.
- 2010: No. 5 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Tennessee 69
- 2024: No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66
- 2025: No. 1 Houston 69, No. 2 Tennessee 50
- 2026: TBD, vs. No. 1 Michigan
Rick Barnes Elite Eight record
Barnes is not just defined by his career at Tennessee. He does have a Final Four appearance, winning his first Elite Eight game with Texas in 2003. Since then, though, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with two losses at both Texas and Tennessee.
Tennessee football and coach Josh Heupel picked up a commitment from Brentwood Academy four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman on March 28 while he was visiting the school.
Bowman narrowed his list to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on March 2. All five schools were among his top 10 he acknowledged on Oct. 30. Texas, LSU, USC, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools left off his list.
The 6-foot, 174-pound Bowman is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state for the 2027 class. He is the No. 6 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports Composite. He has more than 35 other offers. He decommitted from Oregon last September, more than two months after committing to the Ducks.
Bowman was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football semifinalist, who caught 49 passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs, during BA’s 2025 state runner-up season. He also had a rushing TD and was named the DII-AAA West Region Offensive MVP. He was named to The Tennessean’s 2025 All Midstate Large Class football team and is a Middle Tennessee Sports Awards offensive football player of the year nominee.
Bowman helped BA finish 11-1 in 2025, losing to Baylor in the DII-AAA state championship game.
Tennessee and Heupel have also offered Brentwood Academy offensive tackle Rance Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who transferred from Southside (Alabama). The Vols are pursuing BA junior four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II as well.
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.
Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft.
Tennessee Titans
Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S
The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.
With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.
There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons.
Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off.
Sunday Puzzle: Vowel Renewals
Red Rooms makes online poker as thrilling as its serial killer
Over 2 dozen children among 33 bodies pulled from Kenyan mass grave: authorities
Scathing report claims nation’s oldest labor union ‘betrayed’ MAGA members through ‘shocking’ spending
Cases of ‘white plague’ rising in US as doctors warn of ‘rebound effect’
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Scathing report claims nation’s oldest labor union ‘betrayed’ MAGA members through ‘shocking’ spending
Republican US lawmaker demands Congress vote on any Iran troop deployment
So you went to a No Kings protest. Now what?
JD Vance says he was ‘obsessed’ with UFOs, believes aliens are actually ‘demons’
The EU's recipe for trade deals : easy on beef, tough on wine
-
Sports1 week agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico7 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Miami, FL3 days agoJannik Sinner’s Girlfriend Laila Hasanovic Stuns in Ab-Revealing Post Amid Miami Open
-
Tennessee6 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Minneapolis, MN3 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube job scam text: How to spot it fast
-
Politics1 week agoSchumer gambit fails as DHS shutdown hits 36 days and airport lines grow
-
Science1 week agoRecord Heat Meets a Major Snow Drought Across the West