APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

The Davidson County Grand Jury indicted the Defendant, William Darnell Britton, for one count of first-degree premeditated murder. Thereafter, a jury convicted the Defendant of the lesser included offense of second-degree murder, and the trial court sentenced him to eighteen years at one hundred percent in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the Defendant argues the trial court committed reversible error (1) in allowing the prosecutor to cross-examine him about his inflammatory rap lyrics and videos and (2) in its jury instructions. After review, we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting evidence of the Defendant’s rap lyrics/videos and that this error was not harmless. We also conclude that the trial court erred in failing to instruct on “first aggressor proof” in conjunction with the self-defense instruction and that this error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, we reverse the Defendant’s conviction for second-degree murder and remand this case to the trial court for a new trial.

Defendant, Timothy Ronald Cunningham, appeals his convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault while under an order of protection, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and domestic assault. The trial court imposed an effective sentence of ten years of confinement. On appeal, Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support the convictions. After review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Defendant, Luke Jackson, appeals the denial of his motion to withdraw his guilty plea to
voluntary manslaughter, for which he is serving a fifteen-year sentence as a Range III
offender. On appeal, Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion
to withdraw his guilty plea because (1) he did not fully understand the details of his plea
agreement and (2) he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. He asserts that he was
unaware that he would be sentenced outside of his range and that he entered the plea out
of fear and lack of medical treatment while incarcerated. Following our review of the entire
record and the briefs of the parties, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Keion Hayes, pleaded guilty in the Sumner County Criminal Court to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery.  See T.C.A. §§ 39-13-211 (2018) (subsequently amended) (voluntary manslaughter); 39-13-402 (2018) (aggravated robbery).  The Defendant received an agreed-upon, eighteen-year sentence.  The Defendant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty pleas, which the trial court denied.  On appeal, the Defendant argues that the trial court erred by denying his motion. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. 

A Claiborne County jury convicted the Petitioner, Bobby Junior Lovin, of two counts of rape of a child. The trial court imposed an effective sentence of forty years to be served in the Tennessee Department of Correction. Thereafter, he filed for post-conviction relief, alleging that his trial lawyers were ineffective by failing to (1) advise him on the range of punishment he could receive if convicted; (2) investigate the case and present witnesses at trial; (3) advise him so he could make an informed decision regarding a guilty plea; and (4) advise him of his right to testify, which deprived him of the ability to make a knowing and voluntary decision whether to testify. The post-conviction court denied the petition, and the Petitioner appealed. Upon our review, we respectfully affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Defendant, Terrance K. Martin, was charged in a three-count indictment with two counts of sale of 0.5 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of sale of 0.5 grams or more of cocaine.  A jury convicted Defendant as charged, and the trial court imposed a total effective sentence of twenty-eight years’ incarceration.  Defendant appeals his convictions, arguing that the State presented insufficient proof that he knowingly sold the drugs.  We affirm the judgments of the trial court. 

The Defendant, Rusty L. Patterson, was convicted in the Knox County Criminal Court of
theft of property valued $2,500 or more, a Class D felony. After a sentencing hearing, the
trial court sentenced him as a Range III, career offender to twelve years in confinement
with sixty percent release eligibility. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court
committed plain error by refusing to instruct the jury on attempted theft, that the evidence
is insufficient to show the value of the stolen property, and that the unavailability of the
community corrections program in Knox County violated his constitutional rights at
sentencing. Based upon the oral arguments, the record, and the parties’ briefs, we affirm
the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Bobby Joe Waddle, was convicted in the Washington County Criminal
Court of unlawful possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony crime of
violence and was sentenced as a Range III, career offender to thirty years in confinement.
On appeal, the Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support his
conviction and that the trial court erred by refusing to bifurcate his trial. Based on our
review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Ryan Reese Leath, pleaded guilty to Driving Under the Influence (“DUI”), third offense with the trial court to sentence him.  After a sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced the Defendant to eleven months and twenty-nine days, suspended to probation after the service of six months in confinement.  The trial court ordered that the DUI sentence be served consecutively to a six-year sentence for theft of property valued over $10,000.  On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred when it ordered consecutive sentencing.  After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Defendant, Christopher Allen Keyt, was convicted by a Monroe County jury of possession
with the intent to sell or deliver 0.5 grams or more of methamphetamine (count one) and
possession of a firearm during the attempt to commit a dangerous felony (count two). The
trial court sentenced Defendant to thirteen years for count one and four years for count two,
to run consecutively. Defendant appeals, arguing that the trial court erred by denying a
motion to suppress evidence seized pursuant to a search warrant, that the evidence was
insufficient to support his convictions, that the trial court erred in qualifying a detective as
an expert in the methamphetamine trade in Monroe County, and that the trial court erred
by restricting Defendant’s questioning of the detective. Upon review of the entire record,
the briefs and oral arguments of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgments
of the trial court.

In 2014, a Shelby County jury convicted the Petitioner, Corderro Avant, and a codefendant, of several charges against several victims of a shooting, including one count of first degree premeditated murder; one count of attempted first degree murder resulting in serious bodily injury; nine counts of attempted first degree murder; and eleven counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. The trial court imposed an effective life sentence plus twenty-one years. The Petitioner appealed and this court affirmed the judgments. State v. Avant, No. W2018-01154-CCA-R3-CD, 2019 WL 3072131, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2019), perm. app. denied (Tenn. 2020). Thereafter, the Petitioner filed a petition for a writ of error coram nobis. The trial court denied the petition after a hearing on the basis that the statute of limitations had expired. On appeal, the Petitioner contends that his petition was timely and should have been granted based on newly discovered evidence. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

The Defendant, Joseph Ray Daniels, confessed to the beating death of his five-year-old son, Joseph Clyde Daniels III, and was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, aggravated child abuse, making a false police report, and tampering with evidence.  He subsequently received an effective sentence of life imprisonment.   In this appeal, the Defendant argues the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress his confession (1) because the State failed to corroborate his extrajudicial confession under the modified trustworthiness standard outlined in State v. Bishop, 431 S.W.3d 22 (Tenn. 2014), and (2) because his post-polygraph video recorded statement was obtained by law enforcement through coercive interrogation techniques including an express promise of leniency.  The Defendant also argues the trial court abused its discretion in failing to exclude as hearsay utterances by the victim’s three-year-old brother, “Joe dead, Joe dead, Joe dead,” and the response of his aunt, “Yes baby, Joe dead;” and in failing to exclude as not relevant and unfairly prejudicial Facebook messages his wife exchanged with a paramour leading up to the victim’s death.  We affirm.

A Davidson County jury convicted the Defendant, Zyqiius Quade’ Barnes, of one count of second degree murder and one count of reckless aggravated assault. The trial court sentenced the Defendant to an effective sentence of seventeen years of incarceration. On appeal, the Defendant argues that the trial court erred when it included a “defense of a third person” instruction in its jury charge and when it enhanced his sentence. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgments.

A Davidson County jury found the Defendant, Keiresha Majors, guilty of one count of second degree murder, for which she was sentenced to twenty-five years’ incarceration. On appeal, the Defendant challenges the sufficiency of the convicting evidence, the admission of recordings of a Facebook Live broadcast she recorded shortly after the victim’s murder, the restriction of cross-examination of a witness, and the length of her sentence. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Petitioner, Jason Collins, was convicted of one count of possession of .5 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to sell, one count of possession of .5 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The trial court merged the two methamphetamine convictions and sentenced Petitioner to serve a total effective sentence of twenty years, eleven months, and twenty-nine days in confinement. This court affirmed Petitioner’s convictions and sentences on direct appeal. Petitioner then filed a petition for post-conviction relief in which he claimed ineffective assistance of counsel, and the post-conviction court denied the petition after a hearing. On appeal, Petitioner asserts that trial counsel was ineffective in failing to file a motion for new trial, in failing to seek suppression of drugs and other evidence seized from his home, and in failing to conduct a “complete and accurate” investigation of a defense witness. After review, we affirm the judgment of the postconviction court.

The defendant, Keith Lamar March, was convicted by a Knox County Criminal Court jury of unlawful possession of a weapon after having been convicted of a felony crime of violence, failure to drive on the right side of the roadway, and evading arrest. Following a sentencing hearing, the trial court imposed an effective sentence of fourteen years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. 

A Montgomery County jury convicted Defendant, Esperanza Mariaelena Joy Flores, of driving under the influence (“DUI”), DUI per se, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, and possession of an open alcohol container. Defendant argues on appeal that: (1) the trial court erred in not dismissing the charges after the State failed to preserve evidence; (2) the trial court improperly limited her cross-examination of a witness; (3) the trial court improperly limited Defendant’s testimony; (4) the prosecutor made improper closing argument; (5) the evidence was insufficient to support her conviction for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle; (6) the record was not properly preserved because a court reporter was not provided to transcribe the proceedings; and (7) she is entitled to cumulative error relief. After review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

The defendant, April R. Austin, was indicted by the Knox County Garnd Jury for four counts of theft of property valued over $2500 and four counts of theft of property valued over $1000. The defendant pled guilty to one count of theft of property valued over $2500 and one count of shoplifting. Per the terms of the pela agreement, the defendant agreed to concurrent sentences of three years for her theft conviction and eleven months and twenty-nine days for her shoplifting conviction with the manner of service to be determined by the trial court. 

Defendant, Jonathan Rogers Robertson, was convicted by jury of unlawful possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony drug offense, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The trial court imposed an effective sentence of forty-five years. Defendant appeals, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions because the State failed to establish that he possessed the firearm and drug paraphernalia. Upon review of the entire record, the briefs of the parties and the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court, but remand for merger of counts one and two and entry of corrected judgment forms. We affirm the trial court’s judgments in all other respects.

The Defendant, Colton Shane Sutliffe, was convicted in the Maury County Circuit Court of eighteen offenses, including multiple counts of aggravated rape, rape, and incest, and received a total effective sentence of thirty years, six months to be served at one hundred percent. On appeal, the Defendant claims that the juvenile court erred by transferring him to circuit court to be tried as an adult, that the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions, and that his effective sentence is excessive. Based upon our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Petitioner, Osayamien Ogbeiwi, was convicted of first degree premeditated murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. This court upheld Petitioner’s conviction on direct appeal. Petitioner subsequently filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging that he received ineffective assistance of counsel at trial and on appeal. Following a hearing, the post-conviction court denied the petition. On appeal, Petitioner maintains that his counsel was ineffective in (1) failing to challenge an expanded jury instruction on premeditation at trial and on appeal; (2) advising him to testify regarding self-defense and in failing to request a jury instruction on self-defense and in failing to challenge the lack of an instruction on appeal; and (3) failing to adequately challenge the admission of DNA evidence at trial and on appeal. Petitioner also maintains that he was denied due process due to the State’s failure to provide his capias in discovery during the post-conviction proceedings. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

The Defendant, Ritika Arora, was charged in the Williamson County Circuit Court with driving under the influence (“DUI”), DUI per se, simple possession, and possession of drug paraphernalia and filed a motion to suppress the results of her blood alcohol test because the search warrant authorizing her blood draw did not expressly authorize chemical analysis of her blood sample. The trial court granted the motion, and the State filed this interlocutory appeal. Based upon the oral arguments, the record, and the parties’ briefs, we conclude that the order granting the motion to suppress should be reversed and that the case should be remanded to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

The Petitioner, Ashley Lenal Crowder, appeals the denial of her petition for post-conviction relief from her guilty-pleaded convictions for second degree murder, aggravated child neglect and attempted aggravated child neglect, arguing that she was denied the effective assistance of trial counsel and that her guilty pleas were unknowing and involuntary. Based on our review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court denying the petition.

Defendant was convicted of attempted first degree murder and sentenced to forty years in incarceration after stabbing his neighbor, the victim, several times. Defendant represented himself at trial and now represents himself on appeal. He raises a variety of issues including: (1) whether the evidence was sufficient; (2) whether the trial court erred in admitting the preliminary hearing testimony of the victim; (3) whether the trial court erred in denying the motion to suppress; (4) whether the trial court should have granted a continuance; (5) whether the trial court erred in excluding a statement; (6) whether the trial court improperly allowed a witness to use a “script”; (7) whether the State violated Brady, Napue, or Giglio; (8) whether the State improperly used Defendant’s prior convictions for impeachment; (9) whether Defendant was denied access to court; (10) whether the trial court properly limited Defendant’s use of an intake video; (11) whether the trial court properly instructed the jury; (12) whether the State committed prosecutorial misconduct; (13) whether Defendant was denied compulsory process; (14) whether the trial court should have recused itself; (15) whether the appellate record was transmitted in error; (16) whether the sentence is excessive; and (17) whether cumulative error requires reversal of the conviction. Finding no error, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The pro se Defendant, Nancy Abbie Tallent, was convicted by an Anderson County
Circuit Court jury of third offense driving under the influence (DUI) of an intoxicant and
third offense DUI per se. See T.C.A. § 55-10-401. The trial court merged the
convictions and sentenced the Defendant to eleven months and twenty-nine days in
confinement, with seventy-five percent service. On appeal, the Defendant contends that
(1) the trial court judge did not have authority to preside over her case; (2) no probable
cause existed for her arrest; (3) the State violated her right to a speedy trial; (4) she was
denied due process in numerous ways; (5) the State failed to meet its burden of proof; (6)
the jury verdict was not supported by the evidence; and (7) the trial court failed to act as a
thirteenth juror. We affirm the judgments of the trial court.