The Tennessee Supreme Court has reinstated the premeditated first-degree murder conviction of a man found guilty in the May 5, 2013, murder of Chattanooga resident Wendell Washington.
The Hamilton County District Attorney's Office called the ruling an "important win" for the office in a Wednesday news release.
"Justice was served, and it brought some closure for the victim's family," said District Attorney General Neal Pinkston. "We're very pleased with the state Supreme Court's decision to uphold the original conviction for first-degree murder."
Jeremy Reynolds was convicted in 2016 after a four-day trial and was sentenced to life in prison. His conviction relied at least in part on evidence presented during the trial of his involvement with gang membership.
(READ MORE: Gang membership becomes focal point of 2013 Lupton City Murder trial)
According to a Chattanooga police officer who testified during the trial, Reynolds was a member of the Gangster Disciples and photos of him with gang members were presented as evidence by the prosecution.
Reynolds' defense attorneys appealed the conviction, arguing there wasn't enough evidence to support the premeditated first-degree murder conviction and further argued that the evidence of his gang affiliation was improperly admitted at the trial.
A state appeals court concluded in June 2020 there was insufficient evidence to establish the killing had been premeditated, reversing Reynolds' conviction for first-degree murder. The appeals court further ruled the trial court abused its discretion in allowing prosecutors to admit evidence of Reynolds' gang affiliations and went "far beyond" its discretion to prove a connection between Reynolds and the murder weapon.
The Tennessee Supreme Court announced on Monday it had unanimously decided to reverse the decision by the appeals court, saying that "after a thorough review of the record, we conclude that the evidence was legally sufficient to support the conviction for premeditated first-degree murder.
"We further conclude that there was no reversible error on the part of the trial court in admitting evidence related to gang membership. Accordingly, we reverse the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals and reinstate Reynolds' conviction for premeditated first-degree murder."
Wendell Washington of Northrop Drive in the Lupton City neighborhood of Chattanooga was killed shortly after arriving at his home, which he shared with his mother and a girlfriend. According to witnesses, after parking his vehicle, Washington walked across the street and was on the covered porch of his home when the shooting happened. The victim's girlfriend told police when she tried to open the front door someone pulled it shut. Soon after, she heard several gunshots. When the shooting stopped, Washington's girlfriend and his mother found the victim lying on the porch still alive but mortally wounded.
Three months later, while Chattanooga Police Department Officer Michael Early was conducting a traffic stop, he discovered a .45-caliber handgun in a car belonging to Gerald Jackson.
Prosecutors were able to convince the jury that Reynolds used that gun to shoot Washington.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga: Police charge ex-convict in Lupton City Slaying)
Contact La Shawn Pagan at lpagan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow her on Twitter @LaShawnPagan.