Tennessee Death Row Inmate Convicted In 90s Dies Before Execution Date Set | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Brandon Drey.

    A Tennessee death row inmate sentenced nearly 30 years ago on first-degree murder charges died in prison Monday of apparent natural causes at 71 years old.

    James Dellinger, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for first-degree murder in Blount County, was found dead just before noon at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, authorities told local media.

    Tennessee Department of Correction told local media the cause of the death is unknown.

    Authorities said a medical examiner would determine the exact cause of death.

    Attorney Amy D. Harwell said in a statement to WBIR that Dellinger had been battling cancer.

    "Mr. Dellinger died before his legal team was able to vindicate his absolute and unwavering insistence that he was innocent of the murders that sent him to death row," Harwell said.

    "Mr. Dellinger was the consummate East Tennessee story teller, among the last of a breed of mountain men who lived large and recounted his adventures in even larger stories."

    "To spend any time with James Dellinger was a gift-getting to listen to a master practice his craft. From bear stories to moonshine, James Dellinger knew how to keep an audience enthralled. His family and legal team mourn his passing," she added.

    Dellinger and co-defendant Gary Sutton were sentenced to death in the 1992 murder of 24-year-old Tommy Griffin.

    Local media reported court records to read that authorities arrested Griffin for public intoxication after drinking with Dellinger and Sutton at a bar in Maryville. Later that evening, Dellinger and Sutton bailed Griffin out of jail.

    Griffin's body was discovered three days later near the Little River in Townsend on February 21, 1992, where gunshots were reportedly heard shortly after Dellinger and Sutton bailed him out of jail.

    Griffin had been shot at close range with a shotgun and left alongside the river, according to Muderpedia.org.

    Dellinger and Sutton reportedly killed Griffin's sister, Connie Branam, the next day after she had searched for her brother.

    Branam's body was discovered in her burned vehicle.

    Both Dellinger and Sutton were convicted of Branam's murder in 1993.

    Authorities originally scheduled Sutton's execution date on October 6. However, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a reprieve in May.

    Lee paused all executions in the state due to a Tennessee Department of Correction report indicating authorities failed to follow its lethal injection protocol, which had been introduced in 2018

    Department officials said they would revise the protocol and training.
Go Back

HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics

far left sugar daddy has also funded anti-Israel groups and politicians in US
Be careful what you wish for, you may get it
America needs to wake up and get its priorities right
Former President Donald Trump suggested this week that if he becomes president again, he might allow Prince Harry to be deported.
It's a New Year, which means it's time to make resolutions — even for prominent evangelical leaders. The Babylon Bee asked the following well-known figures in the faith what they hope to accomplish in 2024:
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic, reportedly the first time a president or vice president has visited an abortion facility.

HbAD1

An eight-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville has been temporarily closed due to a string of “human and bear interactions,” the National Parks Service announced.
University of Wisconsin tried to punish conservatives for the fact that liberals regularly commit crimes to silence opposition
most voters think EU officials not doing a good job on illegal immigration
Come from behind by GOP candidate is a blueprint to 2024
Biden spending and energy policies to blame

HbAD2

Tuberculosis carried by illegal invaders has already infected Texas cattle

HbAD3

 
Back to Top