Webster Malone v. Stanley Lovett, Warden
Petitioner, Webster Malone, appeals the summary dismissal of his petition for habeas corpus relief. Pursuant to Rule 20 of the Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals, we affirm. |
Rutherford | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Roddarrius Eugene Jenkins
Roddarrius Eugene Jenkins, the Defendant, was convicted of first degree felony murder, especially aggravated robbery, a Class A felony, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, a Class B felony, by a Davidson County Criminal Court jury. See T.C.A § 39-13-202 (2018) (subsequently amended) (first degree murder); § 39-13-403 (2025) (especially aggravated robbery); § 39-17-1307 (2018) (subsequently amended) (felon in possession of a firearm). On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred by (1) violating his Equal Protection rights by denying his motion to appoint a second attorney, (2) denying his motions to suppress his pretrial statements, (3) admitting the Defendant’s uncorroborated statements as evidence, (4) denying, at the close of the State’s proof, the Defendant’s request for a self-defense instruction, (5) restricting the scope of the codefendant’s cross-examination, and (6) finding enhancement factors applied to the Defendant’s sentence. The Defendant also contends that the evidence is insufficient to support the Defendant’s convictions for felony murder and especially aggravated robbery. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Charles Raymond Locke, Jr.
A Knox County jury convicted the Defendant, Charles Raymond Locke, Jr., of second |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Bryiant C. Overton v. State of Tennessee
Petitioner, Bryiant C. Overton, appeals the denial of his petition for writ of error coram nobis. He contends that the circuit court abused its discretion by re-characterizing his petition as one for coram nobis relief, by dismissing the petition as time-barred, and by treating prior post-conviction proceedings as a procedural bar. Upon review, we affirm. |
Rutherford | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. John Skidmore, III
Defendant, John Skidmore, III, pleaded guilty to fourth offense driving under the influence (“DUI”) and was sentenced to two years suspended to probation after serving 150 days incarcerated. Following a hearing on a probation violation warrant, the trial court partially revoked Defendant’s probation, ordered him to serve one year and six months at 100 percent, and extended his probation for an additional year. Upon Defendant’s filing a motion to correct an illegal sentence pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 36.1, the trial court amended its prior revocation order and fully revoked Defendant’s probation. Defendant appeals and argues the trial court failed to place adequate findings on the record to justify its imposition of consequences for Defendant’s probation violation. After review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Benton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Michael Wayne Norton
A Knox County jury convicted the Defendant, Michael Wayne Norton, of aggravated |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Javarius Deshawn Baugh v. State of Tennessee
A Davidson County jury convicted Petitioner, Javarius Deshawn Baugh, of first degree premeditated murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, for which he received an effective life sentence. Petitioner now appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief, arguing that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Joseph Eugene Chestnut, Jr.
The Defendant, Joseph Eugene Chestnut, Jr., was convicted by a Macon County jury of one count of first degree premeditated murder and four counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. The trial court imposed an effective sentence of life imprisonment. On appeal, the Defendant claims that the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress the firearm seized during the warrantless search of his vehicle and that the evidence of premeditation is insufficient to support his conviction of first degree murder. Following our review and pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 36, we remand for entry of a corrected judgment in Count One to correct a clerical error. Otherwise, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Macon | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Brian Phillips
This single appeal asks this Court to review the trial court’s sentencing and |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Travis Cohens
The Defendant, Travis Cohens, was convicted by a Shelby County Criminal Court jury of first degree premeditated murder, attempted second degree murder, reckless endangerment, two counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and convicted felon in possession of a handgun. He raises four issues on appeal: (1) whether the trial court erred in admitting evidence of his prior bad acts; (2) whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain his first degree premeditated murder conviction; (3) whether the trial court erred by failing to give a complete and accurate jury instruction as to the knowing and intentional mens rea; and (4) whether the prosecutor engaged in prosecutorial misconduct by misstating the mens rea to the jury during closing argument. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Sarah Elaine Smith
The Defendant, Sarah Elaine Smith, pled guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated assault and one count each of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury or death, leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage in excess of $1,500, reckless driving, failure to exercise due care, and failure to maintain lane, for which the trial court imposed an effective sentence of one year of supervised probation. Following a restitution hearing, the trial court ordered the Defendant to pay $16,250 in restitution in installments of $200 per month. The Defendant appeals, arguing that the restitution award is unreasonable, that she will be unable to pay the full amount of the restitution award by the end of her probationary sentence under her current payment schedule, and that the trial court erred by failing to consider her financial resources and ability to pay the restitution award. Following our review, we reverse the trial court’s restitution order and remand for entry of a revised restitution order. |
Henderson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Annesha Jackson v. State of Tennessee
We conclude that the notice of appeal, filed pro se while represented by counsel, |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. John Jay Starnes
John Jay Starnes, Defendant, was convicted following a bench trial of two counts of unlawfully and negligently placing a child in imminent danger in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-15-401(d)(2022). Defendant argues that the trial court erred by denying diversion and by imposing a split-confinement sentence of eleven months and twenty-nine days, suspended to probation after service of thirty days in jail. Following a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Montgomery | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Travarius Dewayne Houston
After a bench trial, the trial court convicted the Defendant, Trevarius Dewayne Houston, of two counts of assault against a law enforcement officer, one count of retaliation for past action, one count of theft of merchandise, and one count of resisting arrest. The trial court sentenced the Defendant to serve a total effective sentence of two years, suspended to a year of probation. On appeal, the Defendant asserts that: (1) the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions; and (2) the State committed prosecutorial misconduct during closing argument. After review, we reverse the trial court’s judgments in Count 1 and Count 3 and affirm the remaining judgments. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Kenneth Ray Smotherman, II
In 2023, a Benton County jury convicted the Defendant, Kenneth Ray Smotherman, II, of |
Benton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Amory K. Collins
A Knox County jury convicted the Defendant, Amory K. Collins, of one count of burglary |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
LaCarl Tigg v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, LaCarl Tigg, appeals from the Circuit Court of Rutherford County’s dismissal of his petition for post-conviction DNA Analysis and his pro se motion to vacate his guilty plea which the post-conviction court treated as a petition for post-conviction relief. Upon our review of the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the post-conviction court’s dismissal. |
Rutherford | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Traci Marie House
The defendant, Traci Marie House, pled guilty to attempted possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a prior violent felony, and the trial court imposed a sentence of twelve years’ incarceration in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant argues the trial court erred in denying her motion to reconsider her sentence. After reviewing the record and considering the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Robertson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Ronnie Keith Rea
Defendant, Ronnie Keith Rea, appeals from his convictions for three counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of solicitation of a minor. On appeal, he raises five issues. After a thorough review of the record, the parties’ briefs, and the applicable law, we conclude that four of the five issues have been waived. The only preserved issue is Defendant’s challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, which we find legally sufficient to support his convictions. Accordingly, the judgments of the trial court are affirmed. |
Decatur | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Chelsea Louise Smith
Defendant, Chelsea Louise Smith, appeals her Dickson County Circuit Court convictions for aggravated child abuse and first-degree felony murder committed in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse, for which she received sentences of fifteen years and life, respectively. Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support her convictions; that the trial court abused its discretion by excluding the proposed testimony of her expert in biomechanics; and that her constitutional right to present a defense was violated by the trial court’s exclusion of the proposed expert testimony. Following a thorough review, we affirm. |
Dickson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Teresa Kay Nolan
Following a jury trial, Defendant, Teresa Kay Nolan, was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault and one count of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, for which she received a total effective sentence of four years. On appeal, Defendant contends that: (1) the evidence is insufficient to support her convictions for aggravated assault; (2) the trial court committed plain error by failing to provide a jury instruction on self-defense; (3) the trial court abused its discretion by allowing the State to cross-examine Defendant regarding her prior conviction for attempted impersonation of a licensed professional; and (4) the trial court abused its discretion when it permitted the State to cross-examine her regarding her violation of bond conditions. Upon review, we affirm the conviction in count 2 but remand for entry of a corrected judgment, reflecting Defendant’s conviction for reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon and imposing a concurrent one-year sentence. We affirm the judgments of conviction in counts 1 and 3 in all respects. |
Maury | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Nickalous Ladd A/K/A Nickalous Clark
The Defendant, Nickalous Ladd a/k/a Nickalous Clark, was convicted by a Shelby County Criminal Court jury of convicted felon in possession of a firearm, a Class C felony, and was sentenced by the trial court as a Range IV career offender to fifteen years at 60% in the Tennessee Department of Correction. The sole issue the Defendant raises on appeal is whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain his conviction. Based on our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Johnny Mack Powell
A Knox County jury convicted the Defendant, Johnny Mack Powell, of one count of |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jacob Lee Carney v. State of Tennessee
Petitioner, Jacob Lee Carney, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief, arising from his guilty-pleaded convictions for first degree premeditated murder and attempted first degree premeditated murder, for which he received a life sentence. On appeal, Petitioner argues that the post-conviction court erred in finding that he received the effective assistance of trial counsel and that his guilty plea was voluntarily and knowingly entered. After review, we affirm. |
Montgomery | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Leigh Ann Champion Thweatt
The Defendant, Leigh Ann Champion Thweatt, appeals the Lewis County Circuit Court’s revocation of her probation, arguing that the trial court erred in revoking her probation in full rather than allowing her to address her substance abuse issues on probation, contending that full revocation did not serve the ends of justice for the public or the Defendant. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Lewis | Court of Criminal Appeals |
