MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for the man charged with killing Memphis musician Blake Rhea outside a Midtown bar.
Edward Wurl, 51, is charged with first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun in relation to the incident. According to court records, a judge ordered a mental evaluation during a hearing Nov. 15. Wurl remains in the Shelby County Jail without bond.
MPD officers responded to the shooting at 322 S. Cleveland just after 1 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Louis Connelly's Bar. Officers found Rhea with cuts and gunshot wounds in a car, and he died at the scene.
According to the police affidavit, a security guard for the bar told investigators that two men had been in an argument in the bar before heading outside. He said he heard several gunshots and found Rhea shot in the car.
Investigators said video from the bar showed Rhea talking with a man whom police identified as Wurl outside the bar. They said Rhea was seen turning and walking to his car, and the suspect followed, holding what appeared to be "a smaller, pointed, and shiny object, consistent with a knife, in his hand behind his back," according to the affidavit.
Investigators said the video showed Rhea getting into his car, and the suspect standing between the opened door and the car. They said the video showed the suspect lean over Rhea and what appeared to be a struggle, then Rhea slumping over as the suspect backs up. They said the video then showed the suspect standing at the open car door for several seconds before raising his right hand. Police said several flashes, consistent with muzzle flashes, could be seen, and then the suspect turned and walked away with Rhea slumped in the driver's seat of the car.
According to the affidavit, witnesses told investigators that the Wurl and Rhea had argued about a woman, and the witnesses identified Wurl in a photo line-up.
The affidavit said Wurl was found later that same day at an address listed as the Memphis Mental Health Institute and taken into custody. Investigators said Wurl had a previous felony conviction for a burglary and wounding in 1994 in Virginia.
