An appeal filed by Larry Scott Reynolds, who was convicted by a jury of premeditated first degree murder, had his request turned down and will remain behind bars serving a lifetime sentence.

The convicted murderer petitioned the Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee in Nashville that his trial attorney failed to properly prepare him for the initial trial including not being given the opportunity to his video statement. In addition, he claims that trial counsel failed to call his custody counsel as a witness at trial.

Reynolds was convicted by a jury and sentenced by Judge Don Ash for murdering Melissa Atkin in December, 2007. According to court records, the two met more than a decade ago and the now convicted killer moved-into her Murfreesboro home shortly after that. In fact, they had a child in 2001.

Judge Jeffrey S. Bivins ruled, "Reynolds failed to establish that he is entitled to post-conviction relief. Therefore, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court denying relief."

Judge Bivins continued, "Once again, the evidence does not preponderate against the post-conviction court’s
findings. The Petitioner was unable to tell the post-conviction court at which office the victim’s family members worked and whether it was the same office as where the court’s wife worked and produced no other evidence addressing these points. Therefore, the Petitioner has failed to establish that “he was denied his right to a fair trial before an impartial tribunal.”

Again, the Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee has denied the petition filed by convicted murderer and former Murfreesboro resident Larry Scott Reynolds.

CLICK HERE for legal transcript from Criminal Appeals Court of Tennessee.