State of Tennessee v. Susan Jo Walls

Case Number
M2014-01972-CCA-R3-CD

The Defendant, Susan Jo Walls, was convicted by a jury of being criminally responsible for the first-degree premeditated murder of her husband and of conspiring with others to commit said murder.  The trial court imposed an effective sentence of life imprisonment for these convictions.  In this direct appeal, the Defendant argues that (1) the evidence was insufficient to support her convictions; (2) the trial court erred in allowing late-night jury deliberations; (3) the trial court erred by denying her motion to suppress an involuntary statement made to law enforcement; (4) the trial court failed to properly sanction the State for its untimely disclosure of certain phone records; (5) the trial court abused its discretion by denying her motion for a mistrial or to strike a witness’s testimony based on an alleged Jencks Act violation; and (6)the trial court erred by modifying the jury instructions in response to a jury question that was presented after deliberations had commenced.[1]  Because we conclude that the trial court erred by allowing jury deliberations to continue into the late-night hours, we reverse the judgments of the trial court and remand this case for a new trial.

 

Authoring Judge
Judge D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.
Originating Judge
Judge Forest A. Durard, Jr.
Case Name
State of Tennessee v. Susan Jo Walls
Date Filed
Dissent or Concur
No
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