NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the conviction of Joshua Terelle Gaines, whose case drew national attention for the unusual evidence found at the crime scene — and in the getaway vehicle.
Gaines was convicted of first degree felony murder, especially aggravated robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm in the 2018 killing of his aunt, Tivvis Garrison. He was sentenced to life plus five years in prison.
On February 3, 2018, Garrison’s nephew and Gaines’s half-brother discovered her body in her home. She had been shot five times. Police later found pieces of raw sweet potato on her bed and bedroom floor, whole sweet potatoes on the kitchen counter, and partially cooked pieces on the kitchen floor…