TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Aug 11, 2025

A Middle Tennessee man returned to prison Friday after an appeals court reversed a 2023 decision that had overturned his murder conviction and freed him after 17 years behind bars. Thomas Clardy was convicted in 2007 for a 2005 shooting at a Madison auto repair shop that killed a man and injured two, NewsChannel 5 reports. He received a life sentence. But he was released in 2023 and has been living free for two years. His lawyers have long argued that no physical evidence ties Clardy to the crime and prosecutors presented no motive at trial. They also say he was at home with his pregnant wife at the time of the shooting. The state appeals court decision now requires Clardy to complete his life sentence. Clardy’s attorneys have filed two clemency petitions, one for exoneration and another for commutation. He also made a direct appeal to the governor for release before returning to prison.