21st Judicial District Attorney General Kim Helper dies at 63

BY MATT MASTERS

District Attorney for the 21st Judicial District Kim Helper died Monday after a “brief illness.” She was 63.

Helper served as DA since 2008. She was reelected in 2022 after running unopposed.

“General Helper’s service and devotion to justice and the people of Tennessee was unmatched,” Tennessee District Attorney General Conference Executive Director Guy Jones said in a release. “She dedicated her life to this work, and for that we owe her our deepest gratitude. Deepest sympathy to her family and staff. She will be terribly missed.”

Helper was one of four elected female district attorney generals in the state and was the only woman to hold the position in the 21st District.

She was also a fixture in the Williamson County community, having lived in Franklin since 1997. She began her public service work in Tennessee in 1998 as an assistant attorney general in the Criminal Justice Division before transitioning to the 21st Judicial District as an assistant district attorney in 2003, having also had prior legal experience in Florida dating back to 1994.

Along with her role as DA, Helper served on numerous professional and community boards and groups.

Local community and government leaders have reacted to her unexpected death with remembrances of her professionalism and support for the Williamson County community, with Morris Heithcock Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 41 President Andy Green calling her death a “terrible loss for Williamson County.”

“I remember when she first came as an assistant district attorney, she made an immediate impact in prosecutions and the caliber of prosecutions in this county, and then when she became head of the office, she never looked back,” Green told The News.

Helper is survived by her husband, Gerry Helper, and two daughters. Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson offered his condolences to Helper’s family.

“She was a very, very solid community leader and a wonderful district attorney,” Anderson said. “It’s a big loss to our community and our state in general.”

“She was great at her job and will be missed,” Williamson County Sheriff Dusty Rhoades said in an email.

“We are filled with sadness at the passing of District Attorney Kim Helper,” Brentwood Police Chief Richard Hickey said in an email. “She was an incredible friend and advocate for the Brentwood Police Department. General Helper and her staff saw us through some of our darkest hours with grace and professionalism when we lost [BPD Officer] Destin Legieza. Kim always served with kindness while continually searching for justice. We are praying for her husband Gerry, her daughters Renee and Abby, and all our friends at the District Attorney’s Office.”

“The news of Kim Helper’s passing has certainly hit our legal community very hard,” Public Defender for the 21st Judicial District Greg Burlison said in an email. “Kim was a devoted public servant and a strong and fair prosecutor. Our office sends our condolences to her family and to the members of the 21st District Attorney’s Office.”

“I’m so saddened by the passing of General Helper,” former Assistant District Attorney and current Franklin City Judge Jessica Borne said in an email. “I started my career with Kim at the District Attorney’s Office in 2009. I’m so grateful for her guidance, support and training over the years. But more than anything, she was not only a boss and colleague but a wonderful friend that always supported not only me but everyone in the Office. My heartfelt prayers go out to Gerry, Renee and Abby.”

Funeral arrangements have not been announced at this time. While the Secretary of State’s Office will be tasked with appointing a replacement for her position, the details of that process have not been announced.