State of Tennessee v. Jeremy Sims and Sherry Brookshire

The defendants, Jeremy Sims and Sherry Brookshire, appeal their Shelby County Criminal Court jury convictions of kidnapping and aggravated robbery. Defendant Sims claims that the trial court abused its discretion by denying his motion for severance, the trial court erred by admitting certain witness testimony, the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction of aggravated robbery, the trial court erred by giving certain instructions to and communicating ex parte with the jury, the trial court erred by denying his post-trial motion for a mistrial and severance of defendants on the basis of Defendant Brookshire's incompetence to stand trial, and the cumulative effect of these errors prevented him from receiving a fair trial. Defendant Brookshire also challenges the trial court's denial of the motion to sever, the admission of certain evidence, the sufficiency of the evidence pertaining to the conviction of aggravated robbery, the trial court's instructions to the jury, and the trial court's finding that she was competent to stand trial. Discerning no error, we affirm.