TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Nov 5, 2025

The state’s Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the conviction of Russell Maze on Friday. Maze, a Nashville man, has been imprisoned for more than two decades for the shaking death of his infant son. According to ProPublica, the court said there was insufficient evidence to prove his innocence, despite the original medical examiner in the case — whose testimony helped secure the 2004 conviction — recanting that testimony. The examiner now says the baby died of natural causes. The district attorney's office had launched a reinvestigation of the case and determined that the baby died from an undiagnosed medical condition. The court rejected that finding, saying the review failed to establish any new scientific evidence, and that the evidence it did yield failed to provide "clear and convincing proof" that Maze is actually innocent.