(C) Tennessee Lookout
This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Gov. Bill Lee uses executive order to grant clemency to 23 people – Tennessee Lookout [1]
['Adam Friedman', 'More From Author', '- December']
Date: 2023-12-15
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.
Lee’s pardons are for those who have already served their time and are no longer in prison and issued a single commutation.
Lee said clemencies all come from recommendations made by the Tennessee Board of Parole and no victims opposed them.
Michelle Lockwood-Tipton of Sevier County received the governor’s commutation.
Lockwood-Tipton and Brandon Tipton, her boyfriend at the time, were convicted for the murder of Pamela Hale during a robbery at a hotel in Pigeon Forge in 2000. Prosecutors determined Tipton struck Hale, a hotel clerk, multiple times in the head killing her.
A jury convicted Lockwood-Tipton of first and second-degree murder, giving her a life sentence and meaning she would only be parole-eligible once she served 52 years in prison.
As part of her rehabilitation in prison, she participates in Lipscomb University’s Initiative for Education, a teaching program for inmates 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.
Here’s a list of the 22 people granted pardons
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/12/15/gov-bill-lee-uses-executive-order-to-grant-clemency-to-23-people/
Published and (C) by Tennessee Lookout
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-ND 4.0.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/tennesseelookout/
