COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OPINIONS

Michael J. Grant v. State of Tennessee
E2003-00637-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge R. Steven Bebb
The petitioner appeals the summary dismissal of his post-conviction petition. The petitioner alleges his untimely petition should be tolled on due process grounds because of reliance on counsel’s “guarantee” of release from incarceration after serving 30% of his sentence. We affirm the summary dismissal for failure to file for post-conviction relief within the one-year statute of limitations provided in Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-30-202(a) and affirm.

Bradley Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Christopher Todd Whitaker
E2003-00817-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Robert W. Wedemeyer
Trial Court Judge: Judge Robert E. Cupp

The Washington County Grand Jury indicted the defendant, Christopher Whitaker, for three counts of robbery, and one count of theft valued over $500. The defendant pled guilty to all four counts. Following a sentencing hearing, the trial court denied the defendant's request for alternative sentencing and sentenced the defendant to serve six years in prison. The defendant appeals, contending that the trial court erred when it denied his request for alternative sentencing. Finding no reversible error, we affirm the trial court's judgments.

Washington Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Howard Duty, Jr.
E2002-01772-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge J. Curwood Witt, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge R. Jerry Beck

Convicted by a jury of assault and aggravated stalking, the defendant, Howard Duty, Jr., appeals. In addition to claiming that his convictions are not supported by sufficient evidence, he claims it was error for the trial court to enhance a charge of misdemeanor stalking to the felony of felony stalking. The lower court imposed the felony stalking conviction based upon a previous conviction of stalking that was adjudicated after the commission of the offense in the present case. Based upon our review, we conclude that sufficient evidence supports the stalking conviction; however, the aggravation of the stalking offense to a felony was improper. Thus, the lower court's actions are reversed in part and affirmed in part.

Sullivan Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Jarvis Williams and John Williams
W2002-03010-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge David H. Welles
Trial Court Judge: Judge Joseph B. Dailey

Defendant Jarvis Williams was convicted of seven counts of especially aggravated kidnapping and four counts of aggravated robbery. He was sentenced to an effective term of 360 years in the Department of Correction for these offenses. In this direct appeal, he challenges the length of his sentence. Co-defendant John Williams was convicted of five counts of especially aggravated kidnapping and three counts of aggravated robbery. He was sentenced to an effective term of 161 years in the Department of Correction for these offenses. In this direct appeal, he challenges the sufficiency of the evidence and the length of his sentence. We affirm the judgments of the trial court in all respects.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Dedrick Dewayne Chism
W2002-01887-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Trial Court Judge: Judge Julian P. Guinn

A Henry County Circuit Court jury convicted the defendant, Dedrick Dewayne Chism, of two counts of selling more than one-half gram of cocaine, a Class B felony, and the trial court sentenced him as a Range II, multiple offender to twelve years for each conviction to be served concurrently. The defendant appeals, claiming that (1) the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions, (2) the state improperly withheld an exculpatory witness’s name from the defense, and (3) the trial court erred by refusing to allow the defense to impeach a state witness with his prior conviction and bad acts. We affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Henry Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Donald P. McGuire
E2003-00384-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge J. Curwood Witt, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge R. Jerry Beck

The defendant appeals the trial court's revocation of his community corrections placement. Because the record supports the trial court's ordering the defendant to serve the balance of his original sentences, we affirm.

Sullivan Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. David Jennings
E2003-00633-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Trial Court Judge: Judge Phyllis H. Miller

The defendant, David Jennings, pled guilty to burglary, a Class D felony; theft over $1,000, a Class D felony; vandalism, a Class D felony; simple possession of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced as a Range I, standard offender to an effective sentence of three years, fined a total of $400, and ordered to pay restitution. On appeal, he argues that the trial court erred in denying alternative sentencing. Following our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Sullivan Court of Criminal Appeals

Michael C. Adams v. State of Tennessee
E2003-00658-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Trial Court Judge: Judge R. Jerry Beck

The petitioner, Michael C. Adams, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief from his conviction for second degree murder and four counts of aggravated assault. He argues that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because his trial counsel failed to properly advise him of his right to testify and failed to properly communicate a plea offer and recommended that he proceed to trial. Following our review, we affirm the post-conviction court's denial of the petition.

Sullivan Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Sharon J. Breeden
E2003-01237-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Trial Court Judge: Judge D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.

The defendant, Sharon J. Breeden, appeals the revocation of her probation. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Blount Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Gene Shelton Rucker Jr.
E2002-02101-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge J. Curwood Witt, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge Douglas A. Meyer

A Hamilton County Grand Jury indicted the defendant, Gene Shelton Rucker, Jr., for felony murder and aggravated arson in connection with a fire that took the life of an individual who resided in the apartment structure that was burned. Following a jury trial, the defendant was convicted of the lesser-included offense of criminally negligent homicide and aggravated arson, as charged. The defendant now appeals his convictions and sentence. Specifically, the defendant argues (1) that the trial court erred by instructing the jury on criminal responsibility for the conduct of another; (2) that setting fire to personal property is a lesser-included offense of aggravated arson and should have been included in the charge to the jury; (3) that the instruction on the knowing mens rea element of aggravated arson was incorrect; (4) that the state violated the defendant's due process rights by advancing impermissibly inconsistent positions relative to the defendant and an indicted co-defendant; (5) that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions; and (6) that his sentence should not have been enhanced on the basis of prior convictions that were not proven by certified copies of the underlying judgments. After a thorough review of the record, we affirm the defendant's convictions and sentence.

Hamilton Court of Criminal Appeals

Taurys K. Walls v. State of Tennessee
W2002-01330-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Thomas T. Woodall
Trial Court Judge: Judge Arthur T. Bennett

Petitioner, Taurys K. Walls, appeals from the trial court's dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief. Petitioner argues that his confession was coerced in violation of the United States and Tennessee constitutions. Additionally, petitioner argues that he received ineffective assistance of counsel at trial and on direct appeal. After a careful review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

Jason M. Weiskopf v. State of Tennessee
W2002-01675-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Thomas T. Woodall
Trial Court Judge: Judge J. C. Mclin

Petitioner, Jason M. Weiskopf, was convicted of first degree premeditated murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. This Court affirmed Petitioner’s conviction. State v. Jason M. Weiskopf, No. W2000-02308-CCA-RM-CD, 2000 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 787 (Tenn. Crim. App. at Jackson, October 11, 2000). Petitioner timely filed a petition for post-conviction relief. Following an evidentiary hearing, the trial court denied post-conviction relief. In this appeal, Petitioner raises one issue for our review: whether trial counsel was ineffective for failing to present evidence of Petitioner’s diminished capacity. After a careful review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Grady Paul Daverson
E2003-00596-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Trial Court Judge: Judge Rebecca J. Stern

A jury convicted the defendant, Grady Paul Daverson, of driving under the influence, fourth or subsequent offense. In this appeal, the defendant argues his arrest was illegal; therefore, the trial court erred by not suppressing the evidence against him. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Hamilton Court of Criminal Appeals

Ricky Lynn Frazier v. State of Tennessee
W2003-01380-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Gary R Wade
Trial Court Judge: Judge Roy B. Morgan, Jr.

The petitioner, Ricky Lynn Frazier, appeals the trial court's dismissal of his post-conviction petition. In this appeal, he argues that the Department of Correction has failed to properly apply the jail credits he earned prior to the entry of his guilty plea. Because the proper avenue for review of the application of sentence reduction credits is the Administrative Procedures Act, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.

Chester Court of Criminal Appeals

Kenneth Robert Daniels v. Howard Carlton, Warden
E2003-01063-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Trial Court Judge: Judge Lynn W. Brown

The petitioner, Kenneth Robert Daniels, appeals as of right the Johnson County Circuit Court's dismissal of his petition for habeas corpus relief. In this pro se appeal, the petitioner contends that he should be granted habeas corpus relief because his judgment of conviction for especially aggravated robbery is void. The state contends that the trial court properly dismissed the petition for failure to state a claim. We affirm the trial court's dismissal of the petition.

Johnson Court of Criminal Appeals

Michael Pittman v. State of Tennessee
W2002-02752-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Trial Court Judge: Judge James C. Beasley, Jr.

The petitioner, Michael Pittman, appeals the denial of his post-conviction relief petition after his conviction for aggravated robbery. On appeal, the petitioner contends he received ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. We affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. James Curtis Westbrook
W2003-00163-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joe G. Riley
Trial Court Judge: Judge Clayburn L. Peeples

A Gibson County jury convicted the defendant, James Curtis Westbrook, of possession of .5 grams or more of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver. The trial court sentenced him to twelve years as a Range II multiple offender to be served consecutively to a prior sentence. On appeal, the defendant contends: (1) the trial court erred in denying his motion to require the state to reveal the identity of its confidential informant; (2) the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction; (3) the trial court erred in permitting law enforcement officers to testify regarding footprint comparisons; (4) the trial court erred in permitting the state to treat a witness as a hostile witness; and (5) his sentence is improper. We remand for the empaneling of a jury to fix the fine. We otherwise affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Gibson Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Joy Nelson
W2003-00798-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge David H. Welles
Trial Court Judge: Judge L. Terry Lafferty

The Defendant, Joy Nelson, appeals from the trial court’s denial of her motion to correct an illegal sentence. The Defendant pled guilty to second degree murder, a Class A felony. She was classified as a Range I offender. She agreed to a sentence of forty years, which is outside the range of a Range I offender, Class A felony. We find that the sentence is proper because the Defendant knowingly and voluntarily agreed to it.

Gibson Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. James Hewlett Smith
W2003-00915-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge David H. Welles
Trial Court Judge: Judge C. Creed McGinley

The Defendant, James Hewlett Smith, was convicted at a bench trial of DUI. In this direct appeal, the Defendant challenges the legality of his arrest and the sufficiency of the evidence. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Hardin Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Kelvin Hobson
M2002-01462-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Trial Court Judge: Judge J. Randall Wyatt, Jr.

Davidson County Criminal Court jury convicted the defendant, Kelvin Hobson, of two counts of aggravated sexual battery, a Class B felony, and the trial court sentenced him as a violent offender to concurrent ten-year sentences. The defendant appeals his convictions, claiming that (1) the evidence is insufficient; (2) the trial court improperly allowed the state to cross-examine him about prior bad acts; (3) the trial court improperly allowed state witnesses to give rebuttal testimony about his prior bad acts and his character for truthfulness; (4) the trial court improperly refused to give a curative instruction after the state shifted the burden of proof during closing argument; and (5) the trial court should have granted his new trial motion because the jury foreman mistakenly told other jurors during deliberations that the defendant would serve only probation for his aggravated sexual battery convictions. We conclude that the trial court committed reversible error by allowing state witnesses to testify on rebuttal about the defendant's prior bad acts and his character for truthfulness. Accordingly, we reverse the judgments of the trial court and remand the case for a new trial.

Davidson Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. John E. Turner
M2002-02454-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge David G. Hayes
Trial Court Judge: Judge James K. Clayton, Jr.

The Appellant, John E. Turner, appeals his conviction by a Rutherford County jury for especially aggravated robbery, a class A felony. The single issue for our review is whether the trial court erred by not suppressing Turner's statement to the police and the victim's gun, which was discovered as a result of his statement. After a review of the record, we conclude that the Appellant's statement was obtained in violation of his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. Moreover, we conclude that the stolen weapon is also inadmissible unless, upon remand, the State can show either that the police had an independent, untainted source for the information leading to the gun or that the gun would have been inevitably discovered through routine police investigation. Accordingly, the judgment of conviction is reversed and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

Rutherford Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v.Terry Franklin Stogdill
E2002-02928-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Norma McGee Ogle
Trial Court Judge: Judge O. Duane Slone

The petitioner, Terry Franklin Stogdill, was convicted by a jury in the Claiborne County Criminal Court of one count of rape of a child and one count of incest. The trial court sentenced the petitioner to an effective twenty year sentence to be served in the Tennessee Department of Correction. Following an unsuccessful appeal of his convictions, the petitioner timely filed a petition for post-conviction relief. The petitioner now appeals the dismissal of his petition. Upon review of the record and the parties' briefs, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Claiborne Court of Criminal Appeals

Roger L. Hickman v. State of Tennessee
E2002-01916-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge David G. Hayes
Trial Court Judge: Judge Ray L. Jenkins
The Appellant, Roger L. Hickman, appeals the dismissal of his petition for writ of habeas corpus collaterally attacking a 1986 misdemeanor conviction. We affirm dismissal of the petition upon grounds that (1) there is no showing that Hickman is currently "imprisoned or restrained of his liberty," as required by Tennessee Code Annotated Section 29-21-101, and (2) the petition fails to comply with the statutory requirements.

Knox Court of Criminal Appeals

Roger L. Hickman v. State of Tennessee - Dissenting
E2002-01916-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge Ray L. Jenkins
I differ with the majority opinion in two major areas. First, the majority finds it unnecessary to reach the question of whether a judgment of conviction that is silent as to whether a defendant had counsel or waived his right to counsel is voidable or void. For reasons hereafter contained, I conclude such a judgment of conviction is facially invalid or void.

Knox Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Darrell Glen Smith
E2002-01988-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton
Trial Court Judge: Judge Ben W. Hooper, II

The defendant, Darrell Glen Smith, appeals as of right from his conviction by a jury in the Cocke County Circuit Court for first degree murder. The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. He contends that (1) the evidence is insufficient to support the jury's rejection of his insanity defense and (2) the trial court erred in failing to grant a new trial due to juror misconduct. We affirm the trial court's judgment of conviction.

Cocke Court of Criminal Appeals