Court of Criminal Appeals Opinions
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James Anthony Burgess v. State of Tennessee M2012-01308-CCA-R3-PC Authoring Judge: Sr.,Judge Paul G. Summers Trial Court Judge: Judge David A. Patterson This is a post-conviction appeal of the trial court’s order denying appellant relief from his jury convictions of felony murder (two counts); second degree murder (two counts); aggravated burglary; and reckless endangerment. The trial court, which heard the post-conviction petition, sentenced appellant to two consecutive life sentences plus thirteen years. We affirm the trial court’s denial of post-conviction relief.
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Putnam County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/21/13 | |
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Milburn L. Edwards v. State of Tennessee M2012-01492-CCA-R3-HC Authoring Judge: Judge Robert W. Wedemeyer Trial Court Judge: Judge Robert L. Jones The Appellant, Milburn L. Edwards, appeals the trial court's summary dismissal of his petition for habeas corpus relief. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
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Wayne County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/21/13 | |
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State of Tennessee v. William Walker M2012-01005-CCA-R3-CD Authoring Judge: Sr.,J. Paul G. Summers Trial Court Judge: Judge Jim T. Hamilton Appellant, William Walker, was convicted by a Maury County Circuit Court jury of possession of cocaine over 0.5 grams with intent to sell, a Class B felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. See Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 39-17-417; 39-17-425. Appellant received a sentence of 12 years for possession of cocaine for sale and 11 months, 29 days for possession of drug paraphernalia, to be served concurrently. On appeal, appellant contends that the evidence at trial was insufficient to support his convictions. We affirm appellant’s convictions and the court’s judgment.
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Maury County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/21/13 | |
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State of Tennessee v. William Carter King M2011-02561-CCA-R3-CD Authoring Judge: Judge Norma McGee Ogle Trial Court Judge: Judge E. Shayne Sexton The appellant, William Carter King, appeals the Fentress County Criminal Court’s revoking the alternative sentences he received for guilty pleas to possession of a controlled substance in a penal institution, a Class C felony; burglary, a Class D felony; and theft of property valued more than five hundred dollars but less than one thousand dollars, a Class E felony. Based upon the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Fentress County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/20/13 | |
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Gregory Robinson v. State of Tennessee - Concurring W2011-00967-CCA-R3-PD Authoring Judge: Judge Thomas T. Woodall Trial Court Judge: Judge W. Otis Higgs Jr. I join Judge Page’s opinion in full. I write separately solely to express my conclusion that trial counsel cannot be found to render ineffective assistance of counsel when the record of the post-conviction proceedings reflects that trial counsel would not have had the time and/or the resources to provide the investigation performed by post-conviction counsel after the trial. |
Shelby County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/20/13 | |
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Gregory Robinson v. State of Tennessee W2011-00967-CCA-R3-PD Authoring Judge: Judge Roger A. Page Trial Court Judge: Judge W. Otis Higgs Jr. Petitioner, Gregory Robinson, appeals from the judgment of the Shelby County Criminal Court denying his petition for post-conviction relief. A Shelby County jury convicted petitioner of premeditated first degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping. Petitioner was sentenced to death for first degree murder and twenty-five years for especially aggravated kidnapping to be served consecutively. The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed petitioner’s convictions and sentences on direct appeal. See State v. Robinson, 146 S.W.3d 469 (Tenn. 2004). In this appeal of the denial of post-conviction relief, petitioner contends that (1) the State failed to disclose a statement of a witness in violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963); (2) the State elicited and failed to correct false testimony of a witness at trial; (3) counsel were ineffective in both phases of the trial and on appeal; and (4) the death penalty is unconstitutional. We conclude that the post-conviction court properly denied post-conviction relief. Therefore, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. |
Shelby County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/20/13 | |
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State of Tennessee v. Margaret Lynn McCoy E2012-01859-CCA-R3-CD Authoring Judge: Judge Roger A. Page Trial Court Judge: Judge Shayne E. Sexton A Union County grand jury indicted appellant, Margaret Lynn McCoy, for driving under the influence, first offense; possession of a Schedule II controlled substance; and possession of drug paraphernalia, all Class A misdemeanors. The State dismissed 1 the possession of a controlled substance charge and a jury convicted her of driving under the influence, first offense, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The trial court sentenced appellant to serve concurrent terms of eleven months, twenty-nine days for each offense, with the first sixty days to be served in confinement and the remainder on probation. On appeal, appellant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain her convictions. Following our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Union County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/20/13 | |
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State of Tennessee v. Mary Faye Morrow M2012-01534-CCA-R3-CD Authoring Judge: Judge Roger A. Page Trial Court Judge: Judge Thomas W. Graham Appellant, Mary Faye Morrow, entered a guilty plea without a complete agreement as to a recommended sentence to one count of theft of property valued at more than $60,000. Prior to sentencing, the parties reached an agreement as to the length of the eight-year sentence but requested a sentencing hearing on the issue of whether appellant should receive an alternative sentence. After a sentencing hearing, the trial court denied alternative sentencing and ordered appellant to serve her eight-year sentence in the Tennessee Department of Correction. It is from this judgment that she now appeals. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. |
Franklin County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/20/13 | |
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State of Tennessee v. Larry Lee Robertson M2012-02128-CCA-R3-CD Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry L. Smith Trial Court Judge: Judge Dee David Gay Appellant, Larry Lee Robertson, pled guilty to selling oxycodone in Sumner County in October of 2010. He received a sentence of six years on probation. In May of 2012, a probation violation warrant was filed alleging that Appellant violated the terms of his probation by using intoxicants to excess and pleading guilty to a public intoxication charge. After a hearing, the trial court revoked Appellant’s probation and ordered him to serve his sentence in confinement. Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal. After a review of the record and authorities, we determine that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in revoking Appellant’s probation as there was evidence to support the conclusion of the trial court that a violation of the conditions of probation occurred. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. |
Sumner County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/19/13 | |
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John Doe v. Mark Gwyn, Director of TBI, et al E2012-00497-CCA-R3-HC Authoring Judge: Judge James Curwood Witt, Jr. Trial Court Judge: R. Jerry Beck The petitioner, John Doe, filed a petition for habeas corpus relief in the Sullivan County Criminal Court to challenge his guilty-pleaded, 1995 attempted aggravated sexual battery conviction arising in that same court. Specifically, the petitioner, whose three-year sentence was suspended, challenged his conviction based upon sanctions imposed upon him by 2004 and 2007 changes to the sexual offender registration law. The habeas corpus court summarily dismissed the petition, and the petitioner appeals. We affirm the order of the habeas corpus court. |
Sullivan County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/19/13 | |
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Robert Lamont Moss, Jr. v. State of Tennessee M2012-01208-CCA-R3-PC Authoring Judge: Judge Roger A. Page Trial Court Judge: Judge Mark J. Fishburn On October 5, 2005, a Davidson County jury convicted petitioner of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and theft over $500 but less than $1,000. The trial court sentenced him to an effective term of seventeen years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. This court affirmed his convictions and sentences on direct appeal. State v. Robert Lamont Moss, Jr., No. M2006-00890-CCA-R3-CD, 2007 WL 4245082, at *9 (Tenn. Crim. App. Dec. 4, 2007), perm. app. denied (Tenn. April 7, 2008). Subsequently, petitioner filed petitions for post-conviction relief and writ of error coram nobis. Following a hearing, the post-conviction court denied the post-conviction petition on the merits and the coram nobis petition as time-barred. On appeal, petitioner argues that (1) trial and appellate counsel provided ineffective assistance; (2) his right to due process was denied by the trial court’s denial of funds for the defense to hire experts in eyewitness reliability and shoe print identification; and (3) he is entitled to a writ of error coram nobis. Discerning no error, we affirm. |
Davidson County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/19/13 | |
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State of Tennessee v Jonathan Kyle Hulse E2011-01292-CCA-R3-CD Authoring Judge: Judge Joseph M. Tipton Trial Court Judge: Judge Robert E. Cupp The Defendant, Jonathan Kyle Hulse, w as found guilty by a Washington County Criminal Court jury of aggravated rape, a Class A felony; especially aggravated kidnapping, a Class A felony; and unauthorized use of a vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor. See T.C.A. §§ 39-13- 502 (2010) (aggravated rape), 39-13-305 (2010) (especially aggravated kidnapping), 39-14-106 (2010) (unauthorized use of a vehicle). He was sentenced as a violent offender to twenty-nine years for each of the Class A felonies and to eleven months and twenty-nine days for the misdemeanor. The trial court ordered that the felony convictions be served consecutively, for an effective fifty-eight-year sentence. On appeal, the Defendant contends that (1) the evidence is insufficient to support the especially aggravated kidnapping conviction, (2) his dual convictions for aggravated rape and especially aggravated kidnapping violate due process principles, and (3) the trial court erred in admitting evidence of the deceased victim’s statements about the crimes as excited utterances. We affirm the judgments of the trial court. |
Washington County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/19/13 | |
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Billy Ray Irick v. State of Tennessee E2012-01326-CCA-R3-PD Authoring Judge: Judge Roger A. Page Trial Court Judge: Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz Petitioner, Billy Ray Irick, filed a motion to reopen his error coram nobis proceedings or, in the alternative, a second petition for writ of error coram nobis. In his pleading, he reasserted the grounds underlying his first petition for the writ and added claims of judicial misconduct pertaining to the judge in his first coram nobis proceedings. The coram nobis court in the instant case denied relief, and this appeal follows. Discerning no error, we affirm the judgment of the coram nobis court. |
Knox County | Court of Criminal Appeals | 03/18/13 |