State of Tennessee v. Michael McCormick

The Defendant, Michael Lee McCormick, was convicted in 1987 of the first degree murder of Donna Jean Nichols. The Defendant was sentenced to death for the murder. The Defendant's conviction and sentence were affirmed on direct appeal. See State v. McCormick, 778 S.W.2d 48 (Tenn. 1989). Subsequently, the Defendant filed for post-conviction relief on the grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel and a new trial was awarded. See Michael Lee McCormick v. State, No. 03C01-9802-CR-00052, 1999 WL 394935 (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, June 17, 1999). In conjunction with the new trial, defense counsel filed a motion to suppress statements the Defendant made to police officers prior to his 1987 arrest. The trial court granted the Defendant's motion. The State now appeals by permission. See Tenn. R. App. P. 9. We affirm in part and reverse in part.