Governor Bill Lee Uses Executive Order To Grant Clemency To 23 People

Image Credit: John Partipilo

By Adam Friedman [Tennessee Lookout -CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] –

Gov. Bill Lee used his executive authority to issue pardons to 22 people already out of jail and grant one individual a quicker shot at parole. 

All the clemencies come from recommendations made by the Tennessee Board of Parole and no victims opposed them, according to Lee.

“Each individual case is unique and warranted consideration, and I thank the board of parole members for their thoughtful recommendations throughout this process,” Lee said in a statement.  

Michelle Lockwood-Tipton of Sevier County received the governor’s only commutation issued this year.

Lockwood-Tipton and Brandon Tipton, her boyfriend at the time, were convicted for the murder of Pamela Hale after a robbery at a hotel in Pigeon Forge in 2000. Prosecutors determined Tipton struck Hale, a hotel clerk, multiple times in the head with bolt cutters. Lockwood-Tipton witnessed the killing and helped Tipton dispose of the murder weapon. 

A jury convicted Lockwood-Tipton of first and second-degree murder. She was given a life sentence, meaning she would only be parole-eligible once she served 52 years in prison. 

As part of her rehabilitation, she participates in Lipscomb University’s Initiative for Education, a master’s degree program for those in prison run by the college. 

Lee said her participation in the program and the testimony from several people on her behalf factored into his clemency decision. The commutation allows Lockwood-Tipton to become parole-eligible after serving 25 years. 

Lee has made winter holiday clemencies an annual tradition for his office. Around the same time last year, he issued 16 clemencies.

Here’s a list of the 22 people granted pardons:

• Amanda Vaughn, Perry County
• Ann Marie Byrd, Davidson and Williamson counties
• Brendan Sullivan, Blount County 
• Cheryl Douglas, Rutherford County 
• Chris Ann Hobson, Fayette County 
• Christopher Park, Davidson County, Sumner and Wilson counties
• DeAndre Brown, Shelby County
• Demetria Garner, Davidson County
• Donnell Spraggins, Shelby County
• Catrina Cabe, Hamilton County
• Eddie Criswell, Madison County
• Edward Guthrie, Bradley County
• Jimmy Harris, Overton and Putnam counties
• Joseph Claggett, Davidson County
• Joshua Owens, Bradley County
• Kamiko Michelle Paris, Hamilton County  
• Kevin Campbell, Hamilton County
• Melissa Whitehead-Gregory, Tipton County
• Rhonda Shelton, Davidson County
• Robert Scales, Davidson County
• Tara Woods, Hamilton County
• Tylor Trotter, Knox County