STATE OF TENNESSEE v. RANDALL LEE NEECE - Articles

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STATE OF TENNESSEE v. RANDALL LEE NEECE

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 13, 2026

Court: TN Court of Criminal Appeals

Attorneys 1: William Warren Gill, IV, Assistant Public Defender – Appellate Division, Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference (on appeal); Gene G. Scott, Jr. and Lesley Tiller, Jonesborough, Tennessee (at trial), for the appellant, Randall Lee Neece.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; Garrett D. Ward, Senior Assistant Attorney General; Barry P. Staubus, District Attorney General; and Emily B. Hutchins and K. Kaylin Render, Assistant District Attorneys General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): GREENHOLTZ

A Sullivan County jury convicted the Defendant, Randall Lee Neece, of first degree premeditated murder. On the first day of trial, the Defendant moved for a change of venue, asserting that a newly installed “Victims of Violent Crime” monument outside the courthouse prejudiced prospective jurors. The trial court denied the motion, and the Defendant was convicted as charged. On appeal, the Defendant does not challenge the denial of a venue change or the adequacy of voir dire but instead contends that the sworn jurors were exposed to extraneous prejudicial information through the monument. Upon our review, we conclude that this claim was not preserved for plenary review and does not warrant plain error relief. We therefore respectfully affirm the judgment of the trial court.

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