State of Tennessee v. Brandon Cody Phillips

The Scott County Grand Jury indicted the Defendant, Brandon Cody Phillips, and his
Codefendant, Amanda Jean Phillips, on one count of aggravated assault, two counts of
especially aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated child neglect, and one count
of carjacking. Prior to trial, the Defendant filed a motion to sever his trial from his
Codefendant’s trial, which the trial court denied. At trial, the trial court dismissed the
Defendant’s carjacking count, and the jury convicted the Defendant on the remaining five
counts. Following the sentencing hearing, the trial court imposed an effective twenty-fiveyear
sentence for the Defendant’s convictions. On appeal, the Defendant argues: (1) the
evidence is insufficient to sustain his convictions; (2) the trial court denied his right to an
impartial jury; (3) the trial court denied his right to a unanimous verdict; (4) the trial court
improperly conducted a “closed-door” severance hearing without the Defendant’s
presence; (5) the trial court failed to comply with the rules of criminal procedure during
this severance hearing; and (6) the trial court improperly denied his severance motion.
After review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.