Tenth Judicial District Attorney General Steve Crump’s office has been disqualified from any involvement in the appeal of a second-degree murder conviction that Crump is accused of securing under threat of blackmail.
The allegations, which Crump has denied, came to light when Chattanooga attorney Bill Speek filed a series of motions seeking a new trial for his client, Miranda Cheatham, who was convicted in the 2016 killing of her husband, James Cheatham. She was sentenced to 18 years in prison, though she has maintained she was acting in self-defense.
In an order written Thursday, Senior Judge Don Ash disqualified Crump’s office from the case, adding, “the office will have no communication and provide no cooperation with the incoming [substitute] district attorney other than the transfer of files at the appropriate time.”
Ash is the third judge appointed to the case after two other judges recused themselves citing personal conflicts.
“The disqualification of Mr. Crump and his office was inevitable. Now, even he agrees,” Speek told the Times Free Press. “With the revelations that came to light, no judge in this state would have allowed his office to remain on this case. Mr. Crump’s agreement to disqualify is analogous to resigning before you’re fired. Our focus remains on obtaining a new and fair trial for Miranda Cheatham.”