Gallatin, Tennessee – A Sumner County jury convicted a man in a 2024 teen killing.
On Thursday, jurors found Fernando Mejia guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Trinity Bostic following about 25 minutes of deliberation in Sumner County Criminal Court. According to District Attorney General Thomas Dean, the verdict came after a two-day trial before Judge Dee David Gay.
Prosecutors said Bostic was reported missing July 3, 2024, after her vehicle was discovered at Veterans Park in Hendersonville. Two days later, medical examiners confirmed remains found in Macon County were those of Bostic, a Macon County High School student.
According to investigators, Bostic was last seen June 29, 2024, in the company of Mejia, with whom she had been romantically involved. Authorities said Mejia later led detectives to Bostic’s burned vehicle and other evidence sites. Investigators testified that surveillance footage and phone data helped establish a timeline before and after her disappearance.
Medical examiners determined Bostic died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Immediately following the verdict, Judge Gay sentenced Mejia to life in prison within the Tennessee Department of Correction.
In a statement, Dean credited Hendersonville Police Department investigators and members of his office for their work on the case.
The conviction closes a months-long investigation spanning multiple counties. The case drew significant attention among local students and families in both Sumner and Macon counties.
Bostic’s family addressed the court before sentencing, remembering her as a bright and beloved teenager.
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