Gov. Lee chooses commutation instead of exoneration in Nashville murder conviction

By , Daily Memphian Published: August 27, 2026 4:00 PM CT

Gov. Bill Lee also announced his decision to grant pardons to 33 other Tennesseans who have completed prison sentences and have not been convicted of any crime for at least five years since they were released.

Topics

Bill Lee Thomas Clardy Tennessee Innocence Project executive clemency

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Bill Dries

Bill Dries

Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.


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