Joe Clark Mitchell v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Joe Clark Mitchell, was convicted in 1986 of multiple offenses following a violent crime spree against two women. On March 8, 2011, the Petitioner filed a pro se writ of error coram nobis alleging the existence of newly discovered evidence. Specifically, the Petitioner alleged that, in 2010, his trial judge was “found guilty of illegally expunging” the criminal records of convicted felons in exchange for a fee. The Petitioner also alleged that because he “did not have sufficient funds to pay for a legal sentence,” he received a sentence that was “illegal and void.” Lastly, the Petitioner alleged that his trial judge improperly sentenced him as a persistent offender. Without holding an evidentiary hearing, the coram nobis court summarilydismissed the petition. On appeal,the Petitioner argues that the coram nobis court erred by dismissing his petition without a hearing. After a careful review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the coram nobis court. |
Maury | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Anthony Bernard Garrett
A Davidson County jury convicted the Defendant, Anthony Bernard Garrett, of simple possession or casual exchange of cocaine, fourth offense, and resisting arrest, and the trial court sentenced him to an effective sentence of six years. On appeal,the Defendant contends that: (1) the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction for resisting arrest; and (2) the trial court erred when it denied his motion to suppress. After a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
William A. Howard v. State of Tennesee.
The Petitioner, William A. Howard, pled guilty to second degree murder, and the trial court entered an agreed sentence of twenty-five years, to be served at 100%. The Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, which the post-conviction court denied after a hearing. On appeal, the Petitioner contends: that his guilty plea was not knowingly and voluntarily entered because his counsel did not inform him of the consequences of his plea and because he coerced him into pleading guilty. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we conclude there exists no error. We, therefore, affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Brett Joseph Price
The Defendant, Brett Joseph Price, pled guilty to robbery, a Class C felony, and conspiracy to commit robbery, a Class D felony. See T.C.A. §§ 39-13-401, 39-12-103 (2010). He was sentenced as a Range I, standard offender to five years for robbery and to three years for conspiracy, to be served concurrently. On appeal, he contends that the trial court erred by (1) denying his motion to suppress his post-arrest statements and by admitting a statement at the sentencing hearing, and (2) imposing an excessive sentence and denying an alternative sentence. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Montgomery | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Danita Lanette Wilson and Tiffany Nicole Norman
Following a jury trial, Defendant Danita Lanette Wilson was convicted of two counts of aggravated child neglect (counts one and two),conspiracy to possess a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to sell (count three), possession of .5 grams or more of cocaine with intent to sell (counts four and eight), attempted aggravated child neglect (count six), reckless endangerment (count seven), tampering with evidence (count nine), resisting arrest (count ten), and possession of drug paraphernalia (count eleven). The trial court merged the two convictions for aggravated child neglect into a single count, referred to as “count one.” The trial court sentenced DefendantWilson to seventeen years for aggravated child neglect(count one); five years for conspiracy to possess a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to sell (count three); ten years for each conviction of possession of .5 grams or more of cocaine with intent to sell (counts four and eight); ten years for attempted aggravated child neglect (count six); eleven months, twenty-nine days for reckless endangerment (count seven); five years for tampering with evidence (count nine); six months for resisting arrest (count ten); and eleven months, twenty-nine days for possession of drug paraphernalia (count eleven). The trial court further ordered that Defendant Wilson’s seventeen-year sentence in count one, her ten-year sentence in count four, and her ten-year sentence in count six be served consecutively for an effective thirty-seven-year sentence. The jury convicted Defendant Tiffany Nicole Norman of two counts of child neglect (counts one and two), facilitation of conspiracy to possess a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to sell (count three), facilitation to possess .5 grams or more of cocaine with intent to sell (count four), possession of drug paraphernalia (count five), and two counts of attempted aggravated child neglect (counts six and seven). The trial court also merged Defendant Norman’s convictions for child neglect into a single count, referred to as “count one.” The trial court sentenced Defendant Norman to four years for child neglect (count one); six years for facilitation of conspiracy to possessa Schedule II controlled substance with intent to sell(count three); nine years for facilitation to possess .5 grams or more of cocaine with intent to sell (count four); eleven months, twenty-nine days for possession of drug paraphernalia (count five); ten years for each conviction of attempted aggravated child neglect (counts six and seven). The trial court further ordered that Defendant Norman’s four-year sentence in count one,her nine-year sentence in count four, and her ten-year sentence in count six be served consecutively for an effective twenty-three-year sentence. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Charles Steven Shivers A.K.A. Scott Kevin McNeil
The defendant, Charles Steven Shivers, was convicted of attempted first degree murder, a Class A felony, and especially aggravated robbery, a Class A felony. He was sentenced to twenty-five years at thirty percent for the attempted murder and to a consecutive eighteen years at one hundred percent for the especially aggravated robbery, for a total effective sentence of forty-three years. On appeal, the defendant claims that the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions and that the trial court erred by denying the defendant’s pretrial motion to suppress the victim’s identification testimony,erred by having an ex parte meeting with a juror during deliberations, and erred in imposing consecutive sentences. After carefully reviewing the record and the parties’ arguments, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Theron Davis v. State of Tennessee
A Shelby County jury found the Petitioner, Theron Davis, guilty of attempted second degree murder and especially aggravated robbery, and the trial court sentenced him to an effective sentence of thirty-five years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. The Petitioner appealed, and this Court affirmed the convictions in State v. Theron Davis, No. W2002-00446-CCA-R3-CD, 2003 WL 21339000, at *13 (Tenn. Crim. App., at Jackson, May 28, 2003), perm. app. denied (Tenn. Oct. 6, 2003). The Petitioner filed a petition for postconviction relief, which the post-conviction court denied after a hearing. On appeal, the Petitioner contends that the post-conviction court erred when it dismissed his petition because he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. After a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Todd Joseph Sweet a/k/a Jamie Lee Turpin
A Monroe County jury convicted the Defendant, Todd Joseph Sweet, of two counts of forgery and two counts of criminal simulation, and the trial court sentenced him to sixteen years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the Defendant contends: (1) the trial court improperly denied his motion to dismiss for failing to try him within 180 days of his transfer, as proscribed by the Interstate Compact on Detainers; (2) the trial court improperly denied his request for severance; (3) the trial court improperly denied his motion for a mistrial based on the State’s introduction of evidence of the Defendant’s other crimes; (4) the trial court improperly refused to strike the State’s “Notice of Intent to Seek Enhanced Punishment and/or Notice of Impeaching Convictions”; (5) the trial court improperly refused to excuse six jurors who had media knowledge of other crimes the Defendant allegedly committed; (6) the trial court improperly allowed the State to re-call witness A.J. Smith in order to prove venue; (7) the State failed to prove venue; (8) the trial court failed to properly instruct the jury; (9) the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions; (10) the State failed to comply with Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 16 when it failed to provide the Defendant’s trial counsel with letters written by the Defendant and intercepted by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department; and (11) the trial court erred when it sentenced him. After a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the trial court’s judgments. |
Monroe | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Montarius A. Williams
This is an appeal from the trial court’s order revoking the community corrections sentence of the Defendant, Montarius A. Williams, and ordering him to be incarcerated. The Defendant contends (1) that some of the proof offered in support of revocation should have been suppressed as the result of an illegal search and (2) that the evidence is not sufficient to support the trial court’s decision. After a thorough review of the record, we affirm the trial court’s judgment. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Kevin Joel Hernandez v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner, Kevin Joel Hernandez, appeals the Davidson CountyCriminal Court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief from his conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to sell more than seventy pounds of marijuana within one thousand feet of a school zone and resulting fifteen-year sentence to be served at one hundred percent. The appellant contends thathe received the ineffective assistance of counsel because trial counsel (1) failed to investigate his case adequately, consult with him, or prepare for trial and (2) failed to request a jury instruction on facilitation. Based upon the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Mannaka Oung v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Mannaka Oung, appeals the Davidson County Criminal Court’s summary dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief from his 2000 conviction for aggravated assault and resulting three-year suspended sentence. Oung filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging that he received ineffective assistance of counsel based on counsel’s failure to advise him of the plea’s possible effects on his immigration status and potential deportation. The post-conviction court concluded that the petition was barred by the statute of limitations and dismissed the petition. On appeal, Oung argues that his claim is based on a constitutional right that did not exist at the time of his plea, such that the statute of limitations does not bar his claim. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Jamar Ed-Wae Scott
A Davidson CountyCriminalCourt jury convicted the appellant, Jamar Ed-Wae Scott, of two counts of first degree felony murder, two counts of second degree murder, and two counts of attempted robbery, and the trial court sentenced him to an effective sentence of life plus eight years in confinement. On appeal, the appellant contends that (1) the trial court erred by allowing a witness to testify about a statement made by a co-defendant pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Evidence 803(1.2)(E), the co-conspirator exception to the hearsay rule, and (2) the evidence is insufficient to support the convictions. Based upon the oral arguments, the record, and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Roderick Baldwin
The Defendant, Roderick Baldwin, appeals the order of the Montgomery County Circuit Court revoking his community corrections sentence for his convictions for aggravated criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor, and two counts of aggravated assault, a Class C felony. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court abused its discretion by revoking his community corrections sentence and ordering him to serve the remainder of his sentences in confinement. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Montgomery | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Michael W. Parsons
A jury convicted the defendant of two counts of aggravated assault, one count of burglary of a vehicle, and two counts of theft under $500. The trial court subsequently sentenced the defendant as a Range I standard offender to three years on each of the aggravated assault convictions; one year on the burglary conviction; and eleven months, twenty-nine days on each of the misdemeanor theft convictions. The trial court ordered the sentences on the felony convictions to run consecutively, for an effective sentence of seven years. On appeal, the defendant claims five errors: (1) the trial court wrongfully deprived him of his right to counsel; (2) the trial court erred in sustaining the State’s objections to the defendant’s case; (3) the trial court erred in its handling of one of the jurors; (4) the jury failed to follow its instructions; and (5) the trial court erred in denying judicial diversion and in failing to apply mitigating factors when imposing sentence. We hold that the defendant is entitled to no relief and affirm the trial court’s judgments. |
Tipton | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. David Hooper Climer Jr.
A Gibson County Circuit Court jury convicted the appellant, David Hooper Climer, Jr., of first degree premeditated murder and abuse of a corpse, and the trial court sentenced him to consecutive sentences of life and two years, respectively. On appeal, the appellant contends that (1) the evidence is insufficient to support the premeditated murder conviction and shows he was insane when he abused the victim’s corpse, (2) the trial court should have granted his motion to sever, (3) the trial court should have granted his motion to suppress his statements to police, (4) he was denied his right to a speedy trial, and (5) the trial court should have dismissed a prospective juror for cause. Based upon our review of the record and the parties’ briefs, we conclude that the evidence is insufficient to support the appellant’s conviction of first degree premeditated murder but that the evidence is sufficient to support a conviction for the lesser-included offense of second degree murder. The appellant’s first degree murder conviction is reduced to second degree murder, and the case is remanded to the trial court for resentencing. The appellant’s conviction of abuse of a corpse is affirmed. |
Gibson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Ricky Nelson v. State of Tennessee
Ricky Nelson (“the Petitioner”) filed a motion for post-conviction deoxyribonucleic acid (“DNA”) testing pursuant to the Post-Conviction DNA Analysis Act of 2001, requesting DNA analysis of a knife used in the perpetration of a rape. After a non-evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court denied relief, and the Petitioner has appealed. After reviewing the record, we have determined, in light of the recent decision of the Tennessee Supreme Court in Powers v. State, 343 S.W.3d 36, 56 (Tenn. 2011), that a remand of the case to the postconviction court is necessary for the post-conviction court to consider and rule upon whether the Petitioner has satisfied the first of four factors necessary for the Petitioner to demonstrate his right to DNA analysis and to address whether the Powers decision would affect the postconviction court’s analysis and finding on the second of the four factors. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Francine L. Goss v. State of Tennessee
The petitioner filed for post-conviction relief from two counts of facilitation of second degree murder and resulting thirty-eight-year sentence. She alleged that her guilty pleas to these offenses were not entered knowingly; that her convictions were based on a violation of her privilege against self-incrimination; and that she received ineffective assistance of counsel. After an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court denied relief, and the petitioner has appealed. After a thorough review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Bobby Joe Young, Jr.
A Montgomery County jury convicted the defendant, Bobby Joe Young, Jr., of aggravated assault, a Class C felony. The trial court sentenced him, as a multiple offender, to serve six years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction. Following a review of the parties’ briefs, the record, and applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Montgomery | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Michelle Tipton v. State of Tennessee
The Petitioner, Michelle Tipton,appeals the Davidson CountyCriminal Court’s denial of her petition for habeas corpus relief from her 2000 conviction for first degree felony murder and resulting life sentence. She claims her conviction is void because (1) the judgment fails to identify the date of her indictment, (2) the judgment lists a non-existent offense, (3) the judgment fails to list her release eligibility percentage, (4) the same aggravating circumstance was used during the guilt and sentencing phases of the trial, (5) the State violated statutory sentencing guidelines, and (6) the judgment rendered a non-existent sentence. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
Robert Page v. State of Tennessee
A Shelby County jury convicted the Petitioner, Robert Page, of second degree murder, and the trial court sentenced him to serve thirty-eight years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. The Petitioner appealed, and this Court reversed the conviction and remanded the case for a new trial, concluding that the trial court’s failure to instruct the jury on facilitation was reversible error. State v. Robert Page, No. W2003-01342-CCA-R3-CD, 2004 WL 3352994, at *16 (Tenn. Crim. App., at Jackson, Aug. 26, 2004). Upon further review, our Supreme Court reversed the Court of Criminal Appeals judgment concluding that the failure to instruct on lesser-included offenses in the Petitioner’s case did not constitute plain error. State v. Page, 184 S.W.3d 223, 226 (Tenn. 2006). The Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, which the post-conviction court denied after a hearing. On appeal, the Petitioner contends that the post-conviction court erred when it dismissed his petition because he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. After a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Jimmie Royston
A Shelby County jury convicted Defendant-Appellant, Jimmie Royston, of two counts of prostitution near a school, a Class A misdemeanor. The two counts were merged into one judgment, and he received a sentence of nine months and a $1,000 fine. On appeal, Royston asserts that (1) the evidence was insufficient to support the convictions for prostitution, and (2) the trial court erred in allowing the State to impeach Royston at trial with prior misdemeanor theft convictions. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Leonard Brakefield
A Shelby County jury convicted the Defendant, Leonard Brakefield, of driving under the influence of an intoxicant (“DUI”), fourth offense, and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol test (“BAC”). On appeal, the Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain his conviction for DUI, fourth offense. After a thorough review of the record and relevant authorities, we affirm the trial court’s judgment. |
Shelby | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Christopher M. Black
The defendant, Christopher Black, was convicted by a Davidson County jury of two counts of aggravated rape, a Class A felony, and two counts of aggravated robbery, a Class B felony, and sentenced to an effective term of fifty years imprisonment. On direct appeal, this court affirmed the convictions but remanded for a resentencing hearing “regarding [the defendant’s] sentencing status with respect to the 2005 sentencing act and regarding the issue of consecutive sentencing.” State v.Christopher M. Black, No.M2007-00970-CCA-R3-CD (Tenn. Crim. App., at Nashville, Feb. 26, 2010). Following a hearing on remand, the trial court, applying the single enhancement factor for prior criminal history, sentenced the defendant to twenty-five years for each count of aggravated rape and to ten years for each count of aggravated robbery. The court further found the defendant to be a dangerous offender and ordered that the two aggravated rapes be served consecutively, but concurrently to the sentences for robbery, again resulting in an effective sentence of fifty years. On appeal, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in the imposition of consecutive sentences. Following review of the record, we find no error and affirm the sentences as imposed. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Timothy Christopher Pillow
A Davidson County jury convicted the Defendant, Timothy Christopher Pillow, of aggravated robbery, and the trial court sentenced him to ten years to be served at 100%. On appeal, the Defendant contends: (1) the evidence is insufficient to sustain his conviction; (2) the trial court erred when it failed to declare a mistrial based upon a detective’s testimony that the Defendant had previously been incarcerated; and (3) the trial court erred when it enhanced his sentence. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we conclude no error exists in the trial court’s judgment. The trial court’s judgment is,therefore, affirmed. |
Davidson | Court of Criminal Appeals | |
State of Tennessee v. Thomas G. McConnell
The Defendant, Thomas G. McConnell, pled guilty in the Circuit Court for Williamson County to driving under the influence, second offense, a Class A misdemeanor. See T.C.A. § 55-10-401 (2008) (amended 2010). He was sentenced to eleven months and twenty-nine days, with forty-five days of the sentence to be served. On appeal, he presents a certified question of law regarding the legality of the traffic stop that led to his arrest. Because the certified question was not properly reserved, we dismiss the appeal. |
Williamson | Court of Criminal Appeals |
