Smyrna woman who conspired to kill her step dad / husband ask for post conviction relief

Sep 17, 2015 at 09:42 am by bryan


A woman who conspired in the murder of her step father and later husband in 1999 in Murfreesboro has filed for post-conviction relief asking for a DNA analysis of evidence.

Mindy Dodd was convicted in 2001 for the first degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder of her stepfather and later husband, Sherman Henry Dodd.

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Looking back to the original case, the victim's nephew, James E. Smallwood, admitted to shooting and killing the victim but claimed he did so at the direction of the Mindy Dodd and with the victim's gun provided to him by Dodd.

The courts suggest that Dodd has not shown how that lack of DNA evidence on the gun would lessen the probability of her guilt as the nephew was the one who pulled the trigger.

Dodd will remain behind bars for the remainder of her life unless she is paroled in the future. Dodd is 47-years old today and will be 86 when she is eligible for parole. As for James Smallwood, he is 38-years old today and will be 78-years old when he is eligible for parole.

Past interview regarding the murder:

Paul Newman, the Assistant District Attorney of Rutherford County, discussed the case in this interview recorded on July 4, 2014 (18 min and 47 sec)...

Sources:

Case Number: M2015-00272-CCA-R3-PC

No. M2013-02385-CCA-R3-ECN - Filed April 22, 2014

2009 Supreme Court of TN Denial of Mindy Dodd Application

2007 Mindy Dodd Vs. State of TN

2003 State of TN Vs. Mindy S. Dodd

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