TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Dec 1, 2020

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has overruled the sentence reduction of Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman after finding that a Nashville trial court judge improperly vacated the death penalty case last year, the Tennessean reports. Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins vacated Abdur’Rahman’s death sentence last year after a deal was made with Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk to reduce the execution to three life sentences. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery appealed this decision, arguing that Watkins accepted the deal without following the full process required for such a ruling. Appeals court judges sided with the AG’s office, saying Watkins had erred in approving the deal without first completing the necessary steps to find a basis for post-conviction relief. The order essentially resets the case, voiding the deal and sending it back to Watkins’ court for his consideration.