Bio

Kennath Artez Henderson was born on March 9, 1974, in the United States. By 1997, Henderson was incarcerated at the Fayette County Jail in Tennessee. He was serving consecutive sentences for felony escape and aggravated burglary. While in custody, he began planning another escape.

On April 26, 1997, Henderson had a .380 semi-automatic pistol smuggled into the jail through his girlfriend. A few days later, he requested dental treatment for a tooth that needed to be pulled. An appointment was scheduled for May 2, 1997, with Dr. John Cima, a dentist in Somerville, Tennessee.

This was not Henderson’s first visit to Dr. Cima. Deputy Tommy Bishop, a Fayette County Sheriff’s Office transport officer, was assigned to take Henderson and another inmate, Deloice Guy, to the dental office.

The escape plan turned violent when Henderson used the smuggled gun inside the dentist’s office. He shot Deputy Bishop once in the neck area, then later returned and shot him again at point-blank range while the deputy was lying face down on the floor.

Henderson later pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder, kidnapping-related charges, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and felony escape. He waived his right to jury sentencing, and the court sentenced him to death.

Murder Story

On May 2, 1997, Fayette County Deputy Tommy Bishop transported Kennath Artez Henderson and another inmate, Deloice Guy, from the Fayette County Jail to Dr. John Cima’s dental office in Somerville, Tennessee. When they arrived, Henderson and Guy were placed in separate treatment rooms. Both were numbed for tooth extraction. Deputy Bishop stayed in the reception area and spoke with the receptionist.

When Dr. Cima and his assistant returned to Henderson’s treatment room to begin the extraction, Henderson pulled out the .380 pistol that had been smuggled into the jail days earlier. Dr. Cima immediately tried to grab the weapon, and the two men struggled over it. During the struggle, Dr. Cima called for Deputy Bishop. Bishop rushed toward the treatment room. As he reached the doorway, Henderson regained control of the gun and fired. The shot grazed Bishop’s neck and caused him to fall backward, hit his head, and collapse face down on the floor. He appeared to be unconscious.

Henderson then left the treatment room and returned with the receptionist as a hostage. He took Deputy Bishop’s pistol. He also took money, credit cards, and truck keys from Dr. Cima. Henderson ordered Dr. Cima and the receptionist to leave the building with him. Before leaving, he went back to the treatment room where Deputy Bishop was still lying face down and motionless on the floor. Henderson leaned over him and shot him through the back of the head at point-blank range.

After Henderson left the office, he was startled by another patient. Dr. Cima and the receptionist were able to escape back inside. Dr. Cima locked the door and called police. Henderson stole Dr. Cima’s truck and tried to drive away slowly to avoid attention. Police officers began following him, and he sped away. The chase ended when he drove off the road and into a ditch.

Officers arrested Henderson the same day. When they searched the truck, they found the murder weapon, Deputy Bishop’s gun, and personal property taken from Dr. Cima’s office. On May 13, 1997, a Fayette County grand jury indicted Henderson on ten counts. The charges included first-degree premeditated murder, three counts of felony murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, attempted especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and felony escape.

On July 6, 1998, the day his trial was scheduled to begin, Henderson pleaded guilty to all charges except the three felony murder counts. One week later, on July 13, 1998, he waived jury sentencing. The trial court found four aggravating circumstances: that Henderson created a great risk of death to others, killed to avoid arrest, killed during an escape from lawful custody, and killed a law enforcement officer who was performing official duties. The court sentenced him to death for the murder of Deputy Tommy Bishop and imposed an additional effective 23-year sentence for the noncapital offenses.

The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Henderson’s death sentence in 2000. His later state and federal appeals were denied. In 2024, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals also affirmed the denial of a coram nobis petition based on claims involving brain damage and serious mental illness. In February 2025, Tennessee moved to set an execution date for Henderson, stating that he had completed the standard appeals process. Kennath Artez Henderson remains on Tennessee death row.