State of Tennessee v. Rodney K. Glover
A Montgomery County Circuit Court jury convicted the defendant, Rodney K. Glover, of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary, aggravated burglary, conspiracy to commit theft of property valued at over $10,000 but less than $60,000, aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and theft of property valued at less than $500. At sentencing, the trial court imposed a total effective sentence of 50 years’ incarceration. On appeal, the defendant challenges the trial court’s imposition of sentences as to both the length and alignment of service. Discerning no error, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Montgomery | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jeffrey Klocko v. State of Tennessee
Jeffrey Klocko (“the Petitioner”) filed for post-conviction relief, challenging his convictions for aggravated sexual battery, sexual battery by an authority figure, and assault by offensive or provocative contact, which resulted in an effective sentence of thirteen years. As his basis for relief, he alleged numerous grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel. After an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court denied relief, and this appeal followed. On appeal, the Petitioner asserts that trial counsel failed to interview the Petitioner’s therapist or mother and failed to call either of them at trial, resulting in ineffective assistance. Upon a thorough review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
William L. A. Church v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, William L.A. Church, challenges the trial court’s denial of his petitions for writ of error coram nobis relief from his convictions for passing a forged check and aggravated assault, alleging that newly discovered evidence warrants relief. Upon review, we conclude that the petitioner failed to allege any “newly discovered evidence” and affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Hamilton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Tommy Earl Jones v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Tommy Earl Jones, appeals from the trial court’s dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief based upon its finding that the petition was filed after the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations. The State has filed a motion requesting that this Court affirm the trial court’s denial of relief pursuant to Rule 20, Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. We find the State’s motion has merit. Accordingly, the motion is granted and the judgment of the Circuit Court is affirmed pursuant to Rule 20, Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. |
Dickson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Tarina Simmons v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Tarina Simmons, appeals the Davidson County Criminal Court’s denial of her petition for post-conviction relief. The petitioner, pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement, entered best-interest guilty pleas to two counts of second degree murder and was sentenced to concurrent sentences of thirty-five years. Thereafter, she filed a post-conviction petition alleging that her guilty pleas were not knowingly and voluntarily entered based upon the ineffective assistance of counsel. Specifically, she contends that trial counsel was ineffective by: (1) failing to adequately consult with her about the plea process and review the evidence against her; (2) overemphasizing the possible number of years the petitioner could receive in jail, resulting in the pleas being coerced; and (3) allowing the petitioner to proceed when her mental state was not stable enough to allow her to properly participate in the process. Following review of the record, we find no error and affirm the denial of post-conviction relief. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Ydale Banks v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Ydale Banks, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief from his convictions for first degree felony murder, first degree premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit first degree premeditated murder, especially aggravated burglary, facilitation of especially aggravated robbery, three counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, and three counts of aggravated assault. He argues that: (1) the post-conviction court erred in finding that he was not prejudiced by the instructions submitted to the jury that contained the trial court’s handwritten corrections; (2) the post-conviction court erred in determining that he received the effective assistance of counsel at trial and on appeal; and (3) the post-conviction court erred in not granting a new trial due to cumulative error. After review, we affirm the denial of post-conviction relief. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Antonio Sellers
A jury convicted Antonio Sellers (“the Defendant”) of second degree murder. The trial court subsequently sentenced the Defendant to twenty-three years of incarceration. In this appeal, the Defendant challenges (1) the trial court’s ruling on an evidentiary issue regarding leading questions on redirect examination and (2) the sufficiency of the evidence. Upon our thorough review of the record, we have determined that the Defendant is entitled to no relief on the issues raised. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Aaron Switzer
The appellant, Aaron Switzer, was convicted in the Blount County Circuit Court of aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, and domestic assault, and he was granted probation after service of nine months in confinement. Subsequently, the trial court revoked the appellant’s probation for failure to comply with the terms of release. After the revocation, the trial court imposed a sentence of split confinement, and the appellant appeals that ruling. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Blount | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Donna Leigh Pearson v. State of Tennessee
In two separate cases, the Petitioner, Donna Leigh Pearson, pled guilty to burglary and theft of over $1000. The trial court sentenced her to ten years on each count, to be served in the Tennessee Department of Correction at 45%, and, because the Petitioner committed one offense while released on bond for the other offense, the trial court ordered consecutive sentences. The Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, and the post-conviction court dismissed the petition but granted the Petitioner the opportunity to seek a delayed appeal of her sentence. On appeal, the Petitioner contends that: (1) she received the ineffective assistance of counsel; (2) her guilty pleas were not knowingly and voluntarily entered; and (3) the trial court erred when it sentenced her. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we affirm the post-conviction court’s dismissal of her petition and we affirm her sentence. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Donna Leigh Pearson v. State of Tennessee - Concur
I concur with the majority opinion in result only for the reason that the post-conviction trial court erred by granting Petitioner a delayed appeal as to her sentence. The post-conviction trial court filed a fifteen-page order of disposition of the post-conviction petition, setting forth in detail its findings of fact and conclusions of law. I have carefully reviewed this order and have found no findings of fact by the post-conviction trial court which support the granting of post-conviction relief to Petitioner to the extent of granting a delayed appeal of the sentence imposed upon her. In fact, I find the term “delayed appeal” mentioned only in the order’s introduction, (“The Court, however, shall grant Petitioner the opportunity to seek a delayed appeal as to her sentence.”) and in its conclusion (“The Court, however, shall grant Petitioner the opportunity to seek a delayed appeal as to her sentence.”). No reasons are provided for the granting of the delayed appeal. The proof at the post-conviction hearing was that trial counsel informed Petitioner that he would not be representing her on appeal of her sentence, but that he informed her she was entitled to an appeal of the sentence. Furthermore,the record reflects that trial counsel was retained to represent Petitioner in the trial court, but had not been retained to represent her on appeal. Petitioner filed a pro se “Notice of Appeal,” but on the advice of the inmate “law clerks” at the correctional facility, she voluntarily dismissed her appeal. There is nothing in the post-conviction trial court’s comments from the bench following the hearing, or in its order on the post-conviction petition, setting forth any deficiency by the trial counsel, or, obviously, any resulting prejudice to Petitioner as a result of deficient representation by trial counsel regarding appeal of the sentence. It appears from the record that the post-conviction court gratuitously granted Petitioner a delayed appeal with no constitutional basis found to grant such relief. Trial counsel may have provided deficient representation ;if so,Petitioner may have been prejudiced thereby. However,the post-conviction court made no factual findings to either support or reject these conclusions. Accordingly, I would reverse that portion of the order granting a “delayed appeal” and affirm the dismissal of the Petition for post-conviction relief. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Steven Ray Thacker v. State of Tennessee
A Lake County jury convicted the Petitioner, Steven Ray Thacker, of first degree murder and sentenced him to death. On direct appeal, the Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed both the conviction and sentence. See State v. Thacker, 164 S.W.3d 208 (Tenn. 2005). The Petitioner filed a pro se petition for post-conviction relief, and the post-conviction court appointed counsel. Following an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court dismissed the petition. On appeal, the Petitioner contends that: (1) he received the ineffective assistance of counsel during his trial; (2) he received the ineffective assistance of counsel on appeal; (3) the sentence of death violates his constitutional rights; (4) the aggravating circumstances of his case do not preclude a finding that he was prejudiced by his trial counsel’s performance; and (5) he is entitled to post-conviction relief based upon the cumulative effect of counsel’s errors. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we affirm the post conviction court’s judgment. |
Dyer | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Sean Nauss, Alias
The Defendant, Sean Nauss, alias, appeals as of right from the trial court’s denial of judicial diversion following his guilty plea to three counts of statutory rape, a Class E felony. Following a sentencing hearing, the court imposed a sentence of three years’ probation. The Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his application for judicial diversion because the applicable factors weigh heavily in favor of diversion. After a review of the record, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion. |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
James Wesley Osborne v. State of Tennessee
James Wesley Osborne (“the Petitioner”) filed a “petition for delayed post-conviction relief” on August 12, 2008, regarding his October 1999 conviction of first degree murder. A hearing was held to determine if the Petitioner was entitled to have the applicable statute of limitations tolled. The post-conviction court determined that he was not and dismissed the petition as untimely. This appeal followed. Upon our careful review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Jefferson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Johnny Wayne Beard v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Johnny Wayne Beard, appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief from his rape of a child conviction, arguing he received the ineffective assistance of counsel which caused him to enter an unknowing and involuntary guilty plea. After review, we affirm the lower court’s denial of post-conviction relief. |
Tipton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Sate of Tennessee v. Gregory Keith Wiggins and Robert Brown
The Defendant, Gregory Keith Wiggins, pled guilty to theft of property valued over $500, a Class E felony, evading arrest creating a risk of death or injury, a Class D felony, and driving on a revoked license, eleventh offense, a Class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced as a Range II multiple offender to concurrent terms of three years’ confinement for theft and four years’ confinement for evading arrest. He was sentenced to a consecutive term of eleven months, twenty-nine days’ confinement for driving on a revoked license for an effective sentence of four years, eleven months, twenty-nine days. The Defendant, Robert Brown, pled guilty to theft of property valued under $500, a Class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced to eleven months, twenty-nine days’ confinement. Each Defendant reserved a certified question of law related to their seizure by law enforcement officers. The Defendant Wiggins also appeals the trial court’s sentencing determinations. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Williamson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Greta Cooper
Appellant, Greta Cooper, was indicted along with two codefendents for multiple counts of theft of property and forgery. After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of eight counts of theft of property valued over $500, three counts of theft of property valued over $1,000, one count of theft of property valued over $10,000, and twelve counts of forgery. As a result of the convictions, Appellant was sentenced to an effect sentence of three years, to be served as six months in confinement followed by six years on probation. After the denial of a motion for new trial, Appellant appealed. On appeal, she asserts that the trial court improperly excluded a statement made by the victim to law enforcement that he gave Appellant the money which was the subject of her theft convictions. We determine that Appellant failed to properly raise the issue in a motion for new trial. Therefore, the issue is waived absent a showing of plain error. After a review of the record, we decline to review the issue for plain error because the trial court did not breach a clear and unequivocal rule of law. Specifically, we agree with the trial court’s determination that the statement made by Lonzia Taylor was not admissible as a statement against interest because it was made under circumstances which render it unreliable. Accordingly, the judgment is affirmed. |
Campbell | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Darius J. Hunt
Defendant-Appellant, Darius J. Hunt, appeals from the Knox County Criminal Court’s order revoking his probation. Hunt pled guilty to one count of possession of half a gram or more of cocaine with intent to sell. He received a suspended sentence of eight years following one year of confinement. On appeal, Hunt claims that the trial court abused its discretion in revoking his probation and in ordering him to serve the sentence in confinement. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Knox | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. James Willie Blair
A Franklin County Circuit Court jury convicted the Defendant-Appellant, James Willie Blair, of public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor, and imposed a fifty dollar fine, and the trial court sentenced Blair to a thirty-day sentence in the county jail. The sole issue presented for our review is whether the evidence was sufficient to support Blair’s conviction. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Franklin | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Maurice Shaw Sr.
A jury in Tipton County found Defendant, Maurice Shaw, Sr., guilty of delivery of 0.5 grams or more of cocaine, a Class B felony. The trial court sentenced Defendant to fifteen years as a Range II offender. Defendant appeals, contending that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the conviction and that he is entitled to a new trial because “the evidence was so tainted by improper actions and testimony of the drug task force officer and confidential informant.” After review of the record and the briefs, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Tipton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Jon Douglas Hall v. Ricky Bell, Warden, and State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Jon Douglas Hall, appeals the Davidson County Circuit Court’s denial of his second petition for a writ of habeas corpus from his 1997 first degree murder conviction and resulting death sentence. The Petitioner contends that his conviction and sentence are void because (1) the trial court did not have jurisdiction to change the venue of his trial, (2) the procedure used to implement the death penalty is unconstitutional, and (3) his confinement and death sentence violate double jeopardy principles. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Marquise Harris v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Marquise Harris, appeals the Davidson County Criminal Court’s summary dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief as untimely. On appeal, Harris contends that due process considerations tolled the one-year statute of limitations for post-conviction relief. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Robert Wayne Cooper
The Defendant-Appellant, Robert Wayne Cooper, entered guilty pleas to four counts of burglary, a Class D felony, in the Montgomery County Circuit Court. The trial court sentenced him to forty-two months for each count, imposed concurrent sentences for three of the burglary counts, and ordered that these sentences be served consecutively to the remaining burglary count, for an effective sentence of eighty-four months in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, Cooper argues that the trial court erred by: (1) imposing a partially consecutive sentence alignment, and (2) imposing a sentence of total confinement. Upon review, we affirm the trial court’s judgments. |
Montgomery | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Latroy Lee Robertson
In this delayed appeal, the defendant contends that the trial court erred by imposing a fully-incarcerative sentence of 12 years following his pleas of guilty to three counts of the sale of .5 grams or more of cocaine and three counts of the sale of 26 grams or more of cocaine. Discerning no error, we affirm. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Brandon Lloyd Russell
Following a bench trial, the Defendant-Appellant, Brandon Lloyd Russell, was convicted of two counts of violating a commercial fishing proclamation that prohibited cutting paddlefish to check for eggs or “roe.” The trial court sentenced Russell to two consecutive six-month sentences, which the trial court suspended and ordered him to serve on probation. In addition, the trial court allowed the State to retain the property that was seized as a part of these offenses, ordered Russell to serve eighty hours of community service, and suspended Russell’s hunting and fishing license for three years and his commercial fishing license for six years, retroactive to the date of the offenses. On appeal, Russell argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to dismiss the charges because: (1) the General Assembly, in enacting Tennessee Code Annotated section 70-4-102, unlawfully delegated its legislative authority to enact criminal law, thereby violating the constitutional separation of powers doctrine; (2) the relevant wildlife proclamations were not valid because the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission was improperly constituted at the time that the proclamations were enacted; and (3) he had insufficient notice of the wildlife proclamations and, therefore, insufficient notice of the criminal offenses with which he was charged. Upon review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Maurice Wilson v. State of Tennessee
This matter is before the Court upon the State’s motion to affirm the judgment of the trial court by memorandum opinion pursuant to Rule 20 of the Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Petitioner, Maurice Wilson, appeals the trial court’s dismissal of his motion to reopen his petition for post-conviction relief. Upon a review of the record, we are persuaded that the trial court was correct in finding that the Petitioner is not entitled to reopen his petition. This case meets the criteria for affirmance pursuant to Rule 20 of the Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Accordingly, the State’s motion is granted, and the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals |
