Mr. Murrell is a native of Sevier County and resident of Sevierville.  He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Tennessee as well as a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Mr. Murrell has engaged in the continuous practice of law since 1988, working in Sevierville and throughout East Tennessee as a partner in Johnson, Murrell & Associate, P.C.  His practice consisted primarily of representing business owners in the area who are engaged in the tourism industry.  These include hotels, restaurants, amusements and attractions.  In addition, Mr. Murrell also represented banks, commercial developers, construction companies and multi-family housing developers.  Most recently, Mr. Murrell represented the consortium of lenders who sold the Dumplin Creek property to Kituwah, LLC, as well as the landowners of the new Publix-anchored development in Sevierville.  Mr. Murrell has also assisted developers of several recent projects in Sevier County in obtaining payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) programs to provide financial incentives for the development of retail, grocery and multi-family developments.

Outside the practice of law, Mr. Murrell is actively engaged in commercial and residential real estate development.  He and his partners were responsible for the 2016 development of the 200,000 sq. ft. River Landing Shopping Center in Sevierville which is anchored by Hobby Lobby, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ross, Staples Ulta, PetSmart and Party City. He has also developed single tenant sites for CVS, Zaxby’s and Starbucks.  He is an investor in, and counsel for, a multi-state trampoline park developer.  Mr. Murrell has also developed residential communities in both Sevier and Knox Counties.  Mr. Murrell has served as Municipal Judge for the City of Sevierville since December 2021.

Currently, Mr. Murrell serves on the Boards of the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce and the Sevier County High School Foundation. Previously, Mr. Murrell served on the boards of Leadership Sevier, the Sevier County Health Improvement Council, Mountain Tough Recovery Team and the United Way.

Mr. Murrell and his wife Beverly have two children – daughter Abby is a physical therapist with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and son Clay is a senior at Carson Newman University and member of the baseball team.  Mr. Murrell and his family are active members of Connect Church in Sevierville.  Previously, Mr. Murrell served as a Deacon and chaired multiple committees at First Baptist Church Sevierville.