Michael Braxton v. State of Tennessee
A Davidson County jury convicted the Petitioner, Michael Braxton, of aggravated rape and aggravated assault, and he received an effective sentence of twenty-three years. The Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief claiming that he had received the ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. The post-conviction court dismissed the petition after a hearing. The Petitioner appeals that dismissal. Finding no error, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Victor Eugene Tyson
The Defendant, Victor Eugene Tyson, was convicted by a Davidson County jury of second degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and felony murder. On appeal, the Defendant alleges the evidence is insufficient to sustain his convictions. Finding no error, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Benjamin Ashley Ray Dickens
The Defendant, Benjamin Ashley Ray Dickens, was convicted of first degree felony murder. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain his conviction. After a thorough review of the record, we conclude that the evidence is sufficient to sustain the conviction, and we therefore affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Darryel Webb A/K/A Darryl Webb
The defendant was convicted of aggravated burglary, a Class C felony, by a Shelby County Criminal Court jury. He was sentenced to fifteen years as a Career Offender to be served in the Department of Correction consecutively to a prior conviction. In this appeal, he claims that the circumstantial proof of his guilt is insufficient to support his conviction. We disagree and affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Bobby Rayle v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Bobby Rayle, pled guilty to one count of child rape in the Hawkins County Criminal Court. Pursuant to the plea agreement, he received a sentence of fifteen years as a Range I, standard offender to be served at one hundred percent. The petitioner timely filed a petition for post-conviction relief alleging that his guilty plea was not voluntarily or knowingly made and that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. After a full evidentiary hearing, the trial court denied relief. Following our review, we affirm the denial of post-conviction relief. |
Hawkins | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Rudell Funzie v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner appeals the denial of habeas corpus relief by the Lake County Circuit Court from his imprisonment for three 1982 armed robbery convictions. On appeal, the petitioner claims that he was sentenced to serve concurrent twenty-five year sentences at thirty-five percent and that because he has served that percentage of the sentences, his sentences have expired. We hold that the trial court properly dismissed the petition and affirm its judgment. |
Lake | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Felicia Ann Lowery
The defendant, Felicia Ann Lowery, pled guilty to aggravated burglary, a Class C felony, and was sentenced as a Range I, standard offender to six years in the Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying her alternative sentencing or probation. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Hardin | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. James Kelley
The defendant, James Kelley, was convicted of reckless driving, a Class B misdemeanor, at a bench trial in the Shelby County Criminal Court. He was given a six-month sentence, of which he was ordered to serve thirty days in the workhouse. He appeals, claiming the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction. We disagree and affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Tennie Martin and Roya Mitchell, Co-Personal Representatives of the Estate of Kathryn Martin, deceased, and Tennie Martin and Roy A. Mitchell, et al v. NorFolk Southern Railway Company, et al
Decedent’s vehicle was struck by defendants’ train at a railroad crossing, resulting in decedent’s death. The Trial Court granted Defendants’ Summary Judgment. The Estate has appealed. We affirm the Trial Court’s Judgment. |
Anderson | Court of Appeals | |
Tennie Martin and Roya Mitchell, et al v. NorFolk Southern Railway Company, et al - Dissenting
CHARLES D. SUSANO, JR., dissenting. |
Anderson | Court of Appeals | |
Smith County, Tennessee, and Smith County Highway Department v. Dave Enoch
The operator of an automobile junkyard in Smith County appeals the permanent injunction issued against him by the Chancery Court enjoining him from maintaining an excessive number of inoperable vehicles within one thousand feet of a county road in violation of the Smith County Junkyard Control Act, Chapter 97 of the Private Acts of 1987. The junkyard operator contends the evidence was insufficient to support the findings and conclusions of the trial court. Finding the evidence more than sufficient, primarily due to admissions by the operator of the junkyard, we affirm. |
Smith | Court of Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Devin Banks
A Shelby County jury found the Appellant, Devin Banks, guilty of the first degree premeditated murder of Kadhem Al-Maily and the Class A felonies of criminal attempt to commit first degree murder and especially aggravated robbery of Hussain Atilebawi. Following the penalty phase hearing, the jury found the presence of two statutory aggravating circumstances and imposed the sentence of death. In a separate sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced Banks to twenty-five years for each of the Class A felonies and ordered them to be served consecutively to one another and to the sentence of death. Banks now seeks review by this court of both his convictions and resulting sentences, presenting the following issues for review: (1) whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain his convictions; (2) whether the trial court erred in admitting a photograph of the surviving victim; (3) whether the trial court erred in admitting Banks’ statements absent a ruling on the motion to suppress; (4) whether the trial court erred in admitting hearsay statements made by the victim; (5) whether the trial court failed to properly certify the Arabic translator; (6) whether the trial court failed to properly instruct the jury as to lesser included offenses; (7) whether the indictment failed to charge a capital offense; (8) whether the victim impact jury instruction was coercive; (9) whether the closing argument by the prosecutor was improper; (10) whether the sentences for the non-capital offenses are excessive; (11) whether Tennessee’s death penalty statutes are constitutional; and (12) whether the death sentence in this case is disproportionate to death sentences in other cases. Following review, we affirm Banks’ convictions for first degree murder, criminal attempt to commit first degree murder, and especially aggravated robbery. His sentences for the Class A felony convictions are also affirmed. We further conclude that the evidence does not support application of the (i)(6) statutory aggravating circumstance. and the sentence of death is affirmed. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Joshua Eugene Anderson
A Knox County Criminal Court jury convicted the defendant, Joshua Eugene Anderson, of eight offenses involving victims Sampson Jonathan McGhee (“McGhee”) and George England (“England”). The convictions were: (1) first degree premeditated murder of McGhee; (2) felony murder (robbery) of McGhee; (3) felony murder (theft) of McGhee; (4) attempted especially aggravated robbery (by violence) of McGhee; (5) attempted especially aggravated robbery (by putting in fear) of McGhee; (6) attempted first degree murder of England; (7) attempted aggravated robbery (by violence) of England; and (8) attempted aggravated robbery (by putting in fear) of England. The trial court properly merged certain offenses and sentenced the defendant to serve an effective 25-year sentence in the Department of Correction consecutively to the life-without-parole sentence imposed by the jury. The defendant appeals on several grounds, including whether the trial court erred in: (1) failing to suppress the evidence that resulted from the warrantless search of the defendant’s home; (2) failing to suppress the defendant’s statement to police; (3) denying defendant’s motion to dismiss when the State failed to preserve his entire statement; (4) failing to exclude the defendant’s recorded statement when the entire statement could not be entered into evidence; (5) denying a new trial due to prosecutorial misconduct; and (6) declining to answer the jury’s question regarding the consequences of not reaching a unanimous verdict at sentencing. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Hugh Williams v. State of Tennessee
In 2005, the petitioner pled guilty to second degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder and received an effective sentence of fifty years. Subsequently, he filed a timely pro se petition for post-conviction relief, alleging that his plea of guilty to the latter offense was unknowing and involuntary and that counsel who had represented him at the time of the plea was ineffective. Following an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court dismissed the petition and this appeal followed. We affirm the dismissal. |
Greene | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. v. Howard D. Chapin and Arthur Blair Samuels and Sabrina D. Ball, as Guardian Ad Litem for Natascha Bouchard
This is an insurance case. The plaintiff insurer issued a policy of insurance for a motorcycle. The |
Shelby | Court of Appeals | |
Harriet Caci (O’Shields) Rogers v. Scott Allen Rogers
This is a parental relocation case. After the parties separated, the mother and the child moved in |
Shelby | Court of Appeals | |
Du Sik Lee and Won Jae Lee v. Kenneth R. Davis and Linda P. Davis
This is a breach of contract case. The defendants own a commercial building that was seriously damaged by a fire. The plaintiffs entered into a lease-purchase contract with the defendants to acquire the building at the expiration of a ten-year lease. Under the contract, the plaintiffs agreed to renovate the building from the fire damage, consistent with the local city building code and the defendant owners’ approval. After some renovations were made, prior to the expiration of the contractual repair period, the defendants deemed the renovations to be not in compliance with the city code and disapproved them. The defendant owners then declared the plaintiffs to be in breach of the contract and repossessed the property. The plaintiff lease-purchasers sued the defendant owners for breach of contract, claiming that, at the time of repossession, the renovations were not yet completed and that they still had time under the contract to complete them. After a bench trial, the trial court determined that the plaintiffs had breached the contract because the renovations were not in compliance with the city code and did not meet the approval of the defendant owners. The plaintiffs now appeal. We affirm, concluding that the evidence does not preponderate against the trial court’s finding that the plaintiffs breached the contract by making repairs that were not in compliance with the applicable code; the fact that the contractual repair period had not yet expired is immaterial. |
Shelby | Court of Appeals | |
Billy Harris v. State of Tennessee
The pro se petitioner, Billy Harris, appeals the summary dismissal of his pro se petition for postconviction relief, arguing that he was entitled to the appointment of counsel and an evidentiary hearing. Following our review, we reverse the judgment of the post-conviction court and remand for the appointment of counsel. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Roy Brewer v. Rochelle S. Piggee and heirs and next of kin of Sidney L. Piggee, deceased
This is a quiet title action. The plaintiff’s mother owned a parcel of real property. In 1977, the mother executed a deed, conveying the property to one of her sons. Two years later, the plaintiff and her four siblings filed a separate but related lawsuit to set aside the 1977 deed for fraud. In 1985, by court order, the trial court divested the son of sole ownership and created a trust; the son was appointed as trustee for the use and benefit of the mother’s grandchild and the grandchild’s minor children, until the youngest minor child reached the age of majority. In 1986, by court order, the trial court removed the son as trustee and substituted the grandchild in his place. Despite these orders, in 1994, the son executed a deed purporting to convey the property to a third party. In December 2001, the defendants obtained a deed to the property from a successor in interest to the son. Meanwhile, the youngest beneficiary of the trust reached the age of majority. The plaintiff later obtained a warranty deed to the property from the youngest beneficiary and a quitclaim deed from the trustee grandchild and her other four children. The plaintiff then filed this lawsuit and moved for judgment on the pleadings and/or summary judgment. The defendant answered, raising the defense of adverse possession, and filed a motion to dismiss, raising a defense under T.C.A. § 28-2-110. The trial court denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss and granted the plaintiff’s motion for judgment on the pleadings, finding that the 1985 and 1986 orders, as well as the deeds from the grandchild and her five children, established the plaintiff as the rightful owner. The defendant appeals. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand the case for further proceedings. |
Shelby | Court of Appeals | |
Walter Faught v. E.W. James & Sons, Inc. et al
This workers’ compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers’ Compensation Appeals Panel of the Tennessee Supreme Court in accordance with the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. The Employer has appealed the action of the trial court, which found that the Employee is permanently and totally disabled and that the Employer is responsible for 62.5% of the award and the Second Injury Fund is responsible for 37.5%. We find that the award should be vacated and the case should be remanded for a new hearing. |
Haywood | Workers Compensation Panel | |
Dennis Pylant v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Dennis Pylant, appeals the denial of post-conviction relief by the Cheatham County Circuit Court after an evidentiary hearing. On appeal, the petitioner contends the trial court erred in: (1) suppressing hearsay testimony; (2) finding trial counsel effective; and (3) denying relief based on the cumulative effect of the alleged errors. After careful review, we affirm the postconviction court’s denial of relief. |
Cheatham | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Dennis Pylant v. State of Tennessee - Dissenting
The circumstances of the present case are unusual and demand an unusually circumspect analysis of the axioms of post-conviction review. The petitioner, who is serving a life sentence for first degree murder, declined a plea offer of three years as a Range I offender for reckless homicide based upon counsel’s advice to go to trial and pursue an “all or nothing” strategy. Although I do not quarrel per se with counsel’s recommendation in this respect, I do point to counsel’s failure to exploit at trial the indications of Ms. Davis’s sole responsibility for the victim’s death, and I view the failure as deficient performance of counsel that prejudiced the petitioner. Therefore, I respectfully dissent from the majority’s holding that the petitioner failed to establish ineffective assistance of counsel. |
Cheatham | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Samuel L. Mangrum
The Defendant, Samuel L. Mangrum, was convicted by a Williamson County jury of driving under the influence, second offense. On appeal, he alleges the trial court erred in not declaring a mistrial after he objected to a portion of the videotaped stop that was played for the jury. After a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we find no error and affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Williamson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Marquette Houston
The defendant, Marquette Houston, appeals as of right from his conviction of second degree murder for which he received a twenty-five-year sentence as a violent offender. In this appeal, the defendant contends that: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction; (2) the trial court erred in denying the admission of first aggressor evidence; (3) the trial court erred in admitting the defendant’s statement to police; and (4) the trial court erred in imposing an excessive sentence. Following our review of the record, parties’ briefs and applicable law, we affirm the defendant’s convictions. However, we vacate the sentence imposed by the trial court and remand this case for resentencing under the 1989 Sentencing Act with consideration of the constitutional restrictions upon enhancing the defendant’s sentence above the presumptive minimum. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
James D. West v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, James D. West, appeals from the Madison County Circuit Court’s summary dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief. The petitioner claimed in his petition that he was entitled to relief from the state’s incarcerating him following an eleven-year delay in execution of his sentence. We hold that the petitioner stated a cognizable claim for post-conviction relief, reverse the trial court’s dismissal, and remand for appointment of counsel and a hearing on the allegations. |
Madison | Court of Criminal Appeals |