Natasha Cornett
Encyclopedia
Natasha Wallen Cornett is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at the Tennessee Prison For Women in Nashville. Cornett, then 19, was convicted in March 1998 with five other youths in the notorious Lillelid murders
. The youths, aged 14 to 20, had left Pikeville, Kentucky, headed to New Orleans. By chance, they met the Lillelid family at an interstate highway rest area where they carjacked the family for their van. The youths drove the Lillelids to a remote side road where mother, father and daughter were shot dead and the son was left wounded. This crime took place on April 6, 1997 near the town of Greeneville
in the eastern part of Tennessee
. Two days after the shootings Cornett and the five others were taken into custody by US Customs and Immigration officials in Arizona
while trying to cross into Mexico
in the stolen van.
The conviction was the result of a plea bargain
where Cornett pled guilty to all charges against her to avoid a possible death sentence. Although she took the plea bargain, court testimony strongly established she did not participate in the actual shooting of the four victims. During her own testimony Cornett claimed she tried, unsuccessfully, to prevent the deaths.
Cornett was born on January 26, 1979 into poverty in rural Eastern Kentucky. Cornett's mother Madonna Wallen was not married to her biological father, a local police officer named Roger Burgess with whom Madonna was having an affair. When Natasha was young her mother's husband, Ed Wallen, left and Madonna raised Natasha alone as a single mom in a trailer located in the outskirts of Pikeville, Kentucky
. By junior high school Cornett was alienated from her follow students due to her unconventional behavior. She suffered from anorexia and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder which went largely untreated due to lack of health insurance
. Sometime during her freshman year of high school Cornett dropped out.
Married to a long time friend named Stephen Cornett on her 17th birthday, Natasha told Women's Entertainment Network interviewers in a 2009 documentary that when Stephen ended the marriage after only a matter of months she was "devastated".
By the time the murders occurred, Cornett had embraced the Goth subculture
manner of black clothing and dark "doom-ridden music". Also at this time Cornett was abusing drugs and alcohol and practicing self-mutilation, activities she had been involved with since her early teen years.
Young people similarly inclined were drawn to Cornett and she became the informal leader the group. On April 6, 1997, per court testimony, Cornett, looking to escape what was to her the boredom, poverty, and general unhappiness of life in Pikeville took to the road with the five others heading for a hoped for new life in New Orleans. New Orleans was never reached as a chance encounter with the Lillelid family at an interstate rest stop in Tennessee resulted in murder and Cornett's current confinement to prison.
Since her arrival at the prison in Nashville, Cornett has earned her GED
and a degree in Cosmetology
. In a 2007 article published in The Knoxville News Madonna Wallen stated that her daughter serves as a mentor for some fellow inmates as they work to earn their GEDs.
On August 24, 2001, Christa Pike
attempted to strangle fellow inmate Patricia Jones with a shoe string after Pike and Jones were placed in a cage with Cornett during a fire alarm. Although the Department of Corrections believed that Cornett was involved, investigators found insufficient evidence to charge her with helping Pike.
Lillelid murders
The Lillelid murders refers to a criminal case in Greeneville, Tennessee, United States in 1997. A Norwegian-Honduran-American family of Jehovah's Witnesses were carjacked and then shot; three of the four were killed...
. The youths, aged 14 to 20, had left Pikeville, Kentucky, headed to New Orleans. By chance, they met the Lillelid family at an interstate highway rest area where they carjacked the family for their van. The youths drove the Lillelids to a remote side road where mother, father and daughter were shot dead and the son was left wounded. This crime took place on April 6, 1997 near the town of Greeneville
Greeneville, Tennessee
Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there...
in the eastern part of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Two days after the shootings Cornett and the five others were taken into custody by US Customs and Immigration officials in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
while trying to cross into Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in the stolen van.
The conviction was the result of a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
where Cornett pled guilty to all charges against her to avoid a possible death sentence. Although she took the plea bargain, court testimony strongly established she did not participate in the actual shooting of the four victims. During her own testimony Cornett claimed she tried, unsuccessfully, to prevent the deaths.
Cornett was born on January 26, 1979 into poverty in rural Eastern Kentucky. Cornett's mother Madonna Wallen was not married to her biological father, a local police officer named Roger Burgess with whom Madonna was having an affair. When Natasha was young her mother's husband, Ed Wallen, left and Madonna raised Natasha alone as a single mom in a trailer located in the outskirts of Pikeville, Kentucky
Pikeville, Kentucky
Pikeville is a city in Pike County, Kentucky. The population was 6,903 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Pike County.-History:On March 25, 1822, the county's government officials decided to build a new county seat named Liberty, one and one-half mile below the mouth of the Russell Fork...
. By junior high school Cornett was alienated from her follow students due to her unconventional behavior. She suffered from anorexia and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder which went largely untreated due to lack of health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
. Sometime during her freshman year of high school Cornett dropped out.
Married to a long time friend named Stephen Cornett on her 17th birthday, Natasha told Women's Entertainment Network interviewers in a 2009 documentary that when Stephen ended the marriage after only a matter of months she was "devastated".
By the time the murders occurred, Cornett had embraced the Goth subculture
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
manner of black clothing and dark "doom-ridden music". Also at this time Cornett was abusing drugs and alcohol and practicing self-mutilation, activities she had been involved with since her early teen years.
Young people similarly inclined were drawn to Cornett and she became the informal leader the group. On April 6, 1997, per court testimony, Cornett, looking to escape what was to her the boredom, poverty, and general unhappiness of life in Pikeville took to the road with the five others heading for a hoped for new life in New Orleans. New Orleans was never reached as a chance encounter with the Lillelid family at an interstate rest stop in Tennessee resulted in murder and Cornett's current confinement to prison.
Since her arrival at the prison in Nashville, Cornett has earned her GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
and a degree in Cosmetology
Cosmetology
Cosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty including hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, and electrology....
. In a 2007 article published in The Knoxville News Madonna Wallen stated that her daughter serves as a mentor for some fellow inmates as they work to earn their GEDs.
On August 24, 2001, Christa Pike
Christa Pike
Christa Gail Pike , is the youngest woman to be sentenced to death in the United States during the post-Furman period. She was 20 when convicted for a torture and murder she committed at age 18....
attempted to strangle fellow inmate Patricia Jones with a shoe string after Pike and Jones were placed in a cage with Cornett during a fire alarm. Although the Department of Corrections believed that Cornett was involved, investigators found insufficient evidence to charge her with helping Pike.