CRYSTAL LEE MARTIN v. STATE OF TENNESSEE - Articles

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CRYSTAL LEE MARTIN v. STATE OF TENNESSEE

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Apr 13, 2026

Court: TN Court of Criminal Appeals

Attorneys 1: Crystal Lee Martin, Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Pro Se.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; Lacy E. Wilber, Assistant Attorney General; and Thomas B. Dean, District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): WEDEMEYER

The Petitioner, Crystal Lee Martin, entered an Alford or “best interest” plea to DUI on March 17, 2025, and her sentence was immediately executed as time served. On July 17, 2025, the Petitioner filed multiple post-conviction motions, including a “post-conviction relief packet,” which was related to her DUI offense, and also to a separate offense to which she had previously pleaded guilty, been given probation, and her ensuing probation violation convictions. The post-conviction court entered an order stating that the petition was not signed under oath subject to penalty of perjury and gave the Petitioner fifteen days to file an amended petition, and it denied all her other motions. The Petitioner filed a motion stating that her petition was, in fact, properly verified and indicating her refusal to file an amended petition. The post-conviction court summarily dismissed the petition. After review, we affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment.

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