A 19-year prison sentence ordered in 2015 for a Bledsoe County man has been reinstated after an appeals court reversed 2023 findings by a post-conviction court that a witness statement wasn’t provided at the man’s plea hearing.
In April 2015, Casey Lee Anderson, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the April 22, 2014, slaying of Orlando F. “Big O” Smith, 39. But Anderson appealed, pointing to a witness statement alleging the dead man had a gun in his hand before he was shot, according to a ruling issued by the state Court of Criminal Appeals in Knoxville. Judge Tom Greenholtz authored the ruling, with Justices Camille R. McMullen and John W. Campbell joining in a reversal of a lower court’s finding.
Following an Oct. 23, 2023, post-conviction hearing, Circuit Court Judge John “Cam” Cameron granted relief in his finding that state prosecutors violated their obligations under law when they suppressed a witness statement that was potentially favorable to Anderson, court documents state. Cameron’s ruling was focused on a statement by one of the two women present during the shooting.
State Appeals Court officials in Knoxville said Dayton, Tennessee-based attorney Elizabeth Greer represents Anderson. Greer didn’t respond to a message left Tuesday at her office. Anderson was not released because the state’s appeal of the ruling was pending.
(READ MORE: Bledsoe County shooting victim lay dead for 12 hours)