State of Tennessee vs. Gaile K. Owens

In this capital case, the appellant, Gaile K. Owens, appeals as of right the judgment of the Criminal Court of Shelby County denying her petition for postconviction relief. In 1986, the appellant was convicted of accessory before the fact to first degree murder. In a joint trial, the appellant’s co-defendant, Sidney Porterfield, was also convicted of first degree murder and following a separate sentencing hearing, both were sentenced to death by electrocution. The appellant’s conviction and sentence were affirmed on direct appeal by the Tennessee Supreme Court. See State v. Porterfield, 746 S.W.2d 441 (Tenn.), reh’g denied, (1988), cert. denied, 486 U.S. 1017, 108 S.Ct. 1756 (1988).