Johnny B. Brooks v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Johnny B. Brooks, appeals the Madison County Circuit Court’s denial of post-conviction relief from his convictions for driving under the influence (“DUI”), eighth offense, driving on a revoked license due to a DUI, and a violation of the open container law. On appeal, the Petitioner argues that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Madison | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Ashley Dawn Boyce
Defendant, Ashley Dawn Boyce, appeals from the Maury County Circuit Court’s denial of her motion to suppress evidence following her guilty plea to driving under the influence. Defendant reserved a certified question of law pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 37(b)(2)(A). Upon review of the entire record and the briefs of the parties, we conclude that this Court lacks jurisdiction to consider the appeal because the appellate record does not contain a copy of the judgment of conviction. Accordingly, we dismiss this appeal. |
Maury | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Betty Sparks v. State of Tennessee
Petitioner, Betty Sparks, appeals the denial of her post-conviction petition alleging that the post-conviction court erred in finding that she received the effective assistance of counsel at trial. Following our review of the entire record and the briefs of the parties, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Hardeman | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Henry Lee Jones v. State of Tennessee
This matter is before the Court upon the application of the Petitioner, Henry Lee Jones, for an extraordinary appeal pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 10. The Petitioner seeks review of the trial court’s order denying his motion to disqualify the Attorney General’s Office from representing the State in his capital post-conviction proceeding. The Petitioner raises numerous constitutional and statutory challenges to 2023 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 182 (“the Act”), which gives the Attorney General “exclusive control over the state’s defense of the request for collateral review” in capital cases. The State has responded in opposition to the application, arguing that the Petitioner lacks standing to challenge the Act and, alternatively, that the Petitioner has failed to establish that this case merits extraordinary review. For the reasons set forth below, the Petitioner’s application is hereby denied. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Nolan T. Williams
The defendant, Nolan T. Williams, pled guilty to rape. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court ordered the defendant to serve an eight-year sentence in confinement with the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant contends the trial court erred in sentencing him to confinement. Following review, we dismiss the appeal as untimely. |
Weakley | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
STATE OF TENNESSEE v. TERESA SHINPAUGH
In 2023, the Defendant, Teresa Shinpaugh, pleaded guilty to one count of criminally negligent homicide and one count of aggravated neglect of an elderly or vulnerable adult, in exchange for the dismissal of the remaining counts of her indictment and pursuant to the agreement that the trial court would determine the length and manner of service of her sentence. After a hearing, the trial court sentenced the Defendant to concurrent sentences of two and eight years with one year to serve in confinement and the remainder to be served on probation. On appeal, the Defendant asserts that the trial court erred when it sentenced her to one year of confinement. After a review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the trial court’s judgments. |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Randy Jackson
A Hardeman County jury convicted the defendant, Randy Jackson, of indecent exposure in a penal institution, for which he received six years in confinement at 60%. On appeal, the defendant contends the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support his conviction. After reviewing the record and considering the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Hardeman | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Carlos Gonzalez v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Carlos Gonzalez, appeals the denial of his post-conviction petition, arguing the post-conviction court erred in finding he received the effective assistance of counsel. After our review of the record, briefs, and applicable law, we affirm the denial of the petition. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Craig Taylor v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Craig Taylor, appeals the denial of post-conviction relief from his Madison County convictions for first degree premeditated murder, attempted aggravated burglary, two counts of first degree felony murder, and two counts of attempted aggravated robbery, for which he received a total effective sentence of life plus eight years. The Petitioner contends that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel based upon trial counsel’s failure to call expert witnesses to rebut the State’s experts. After review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Madison | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Shamarion J. Brown v. State of Tennessee
Petitioner, Shamarion Bown, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief, arguing that the post-conviction court erred in concluding that Petitioner received the effective assistance of counsel. Petitioner alleges that trial counsel failed to adequately review discovery materials and offer an honest assessment about the strengths and weaknesses of Petitioner’s case. Petitioner contends that because of counsel’s alleged deficient performance he did not fully understand the nature and consequences of his guilty plea. After review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Madison | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Kavaughn Jones v. State of Tennessee
While unclear from the record, which does not include the relevant documentation, the Petitioner, Kavaughn Jones, states that he pleaded guilty in 2022 to two counts of attempted rape and one count of attempted aggravated sexual battery, and that the trial court sentenced him to eight years to be served at 45%. In January 2025, the Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, in which he alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate his case. The post-conviction court summarily dismissed the petition as time-barred. The Petitioner appeals. After review, we affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment. |
Lauderdale | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Guy A. Cobb v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Guy A. Cobb, appeals the McMinn County Criminal Court’s denial of his |
Court of Criminal Appeals | ||
State of Tennessee v. Christian Sanderson
Defendant, Christian Sanderson, pled guilty in two separate cases to four counts of attempted aggravated sexual battery. As part of the negotiated agreement, Defendant agreed to a five- to six-year sentence of incarceration on each count, with the trial court to determine whether to impose consecutive sentences. The trial court ordered Defendant to serve four consecutive six-year sentences, for an effective sentence of twenty-four years. On appeal, Defendant argues that the trial court abused its discretion by ordering complete consecutive sentencing. Following a review of the entire record, the briefs and arguments of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Rutherford | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
STATE OF TENNESSEE v. KENYON DEMARIO REYNOLDS
The Defendant, Kenyon Demario Reynolds, appeals from the judgment of the Knox County Criminal Court denying his motion to correct an illegal sentence. The Defendant argues that the trial court erred by summarily ordering a corrected judgment instead of holding a new sentencing hearing to resentence him to a legal sentence. Because the Defendant fails to state a colorable claim for Rule 36.1 relief, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Lawrence Darrell Patton
Lawrence Darrell Patton, Defendant, claims that the trial court erred by ordering him to serve the balance of his sentence in confinement following the revocation of his probation. Defendant also claims that the trial court erred in partially denying his Rule 36 motion seeking pretrial jail credits. Following a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the revocation of Defendant’s probation and the trial court’s award of pretrial jail credits. We reverse the trial court’s judgment requiring Defendant to serve the balance of his sentence in confinement and remand for a new sentencing hearing. |
Lewis | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jacquiz McBee v. State of Tennessee
A Knox County jury convicted the Petitioner, Jacquiz McBee, of first-degree murder, and |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Maurice Tyrone Flanigan
The Defendant, Maurice Tyrone Flanigan, filed a pro se pleading seeking to “correct” his six-year sentence for robbery, asserting that it had expired. The trial court treated the filing as a petition for a writ of habeas corpus and directed that the Defendant be brought before the court for a hearing. At that hearing, the trial court concluded that the Defendant’s sentence had expired and entered a release order based on its understanding that the district attorney general did not dispute that conclusion. The State now appeals through the Attorney General and Reporter, contending that it was entitled to notice and an opportunity to be heard before the trial court granted habeas corpus relief. Upon our review, we agree that the Attorney General and Reporter is the only party who is statutorily authorized to appear and represent the State’s interests in a habeas corpus proceeding. Accordingly, we respectfully vacate the trial court’s order granting relief and remand for further proceedings so that the Attorney General may present the State’s arguments in the first instance. |
Hamilton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Robert Leroy Littleton, III v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Robert Leroy Littleton, III, appeals from the post-conviction court’s summary dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief on the basis that it was untimely filed. Primarily, he argues that his petition was timely because it was filed during the “grace period” within which he had the opportunity to seek a writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court. He also alleges tolling exceptions to the limitations period based upon (1) his actual innocence and (2) attorney misconduct. After review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Johnson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. James Elvis Presley
In this interlocutory appeal, the State asks this court to review the trial court’s order granting Defendant’s motion for new trial. After reviewing the entire record, the briefs and oral arguments of the parties, and the applicable law, we reverse the trial court’s order. |
Monroe | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jabriel Linzy v. State of Tennessee
In 2015, a Knox County jury convicted the Petitioner, Jabriel Linzy, of first-degree murder, |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Joshua Morris
The State appeals the Knox County Criminal Court’s order dismissing the indictment |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Raymond Benson
The defendant, Raymond Benson, was convicted by a Shelby County Criminal Court jury of reckless homicide and convicted felon in possession of a handgun for which he received an effective sentence of four years suspended to supervised probation. On appeal, the defendant argues that the evidence is insufficient to sustain his conviction for reckless homicide and asserts that the trial court erred in denying his motion to impeach a State’s witness with prior convictions. Following our review of the record, the parties’ briefs, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Heather Fisher
A Rhea County jury convicted the Defendant, Heather Fisher, of possession with intent to |
Rhea | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Bobby V. Summers
The Defendant, Bobby V. Summers, appeals from the trial court’s dismissal of his motion to withdraw his guilty plea to facilitation of first degree murder. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Rickey Benson v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Rickey Benson, acting pro se, appeals from the order of the Shelby County Criminal Court summarily dismissing his petition seeking a writ of habeas corpus. After review, we affirm. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals |