Who is Betty Christine Lane? Nashville bomber Anthony Warner was sued by his mom after inheriting family home
Anthony Warner confirmed to be behind the Nashville suicide bombing on Christmas Day was reportedly sued by his mother, Betty Christine Lane, in a property dispute after he inherited the family home worth $249,000, following the death of his brother, Steven Warner. At least three people were injured when a recreational vehicle (RV) exploded near the AT&T data center in downtown Nashville. Police arrived on the scene after responding to a call of shots fired when they found the RV with clothes and blinds covering the windows. A warning blared from the RV about a bomb, ordering residents to evacuate. The RV exploded around 6 30 am local time.
On Sunday, December 27, the FBI confirmed that Warner's remains were found in the area and that he was responsible for the bombing. DNA analysis showed that 63-year-old Warner perished in the bombing. More details about Warner are emerging after his role in the bombing was confirmed. Warner was a retired burglar alarm installer who continued to work as a freelance IT consultant.
The Daily Mail reported that Warner was sued by his mother, Betty Christine Lane, in 2019, after Warner inherited the family home following his brother's death. Lane was married to Warner's father, Charles B 'Popeye' Warne, and had divorced him before he died in 2011. When Steven Warner died in 2018 without leaving a will, Anthony Warner inherited the home. Lane then sued her son and argued that the family home should legally belong to her. She alleged that Anthony Warner acting as "attorney-in-fact" fraudulently claimed the home for himself in an August 2018 quitclaim deed transfer.
Lane's lawsuit stated that Warner's transfer "resulted in a personal financial gain" for him and alleged that he paid the "wholly inadequate" price of $10, according to court papers accessed by the Daily Mail. Tax appraisers had valued the house at $196,000 and property website Zillow reportedly estimated the house's worth at $223,519 at the time. More recently, the property is reportedly worth $249,100. Her lawsuit stated, "When defendant signed the quit claim deed deeding the real property to himself, this was an act of self-interest and as such, violated his duty to act in the best interest of his brother."
In January 2019, Warner mysteriously signed the home over to 29-year-old California-based Michelle Swing, via quit claim. Warner was reportedly in a relationship with Swing's mother according to the publication's report. After a circuit court hearing in February 2019, when a judge ruled that Lane was the appropriate person to control Steven's estate, Swing then signed over the three-bedroom, single-lane house to Lane later. Lane currently lives in the house and was seen posting signs in her yard warning she would call the cops if anyone trespassed on her driveway.
A motive in the bombing has not been released and is still under investigation, according to FBI Special Agent for Public Affairs Doug Korneski. Investigators do not believe anyone else was involved in the attack.