PODCAST (Click Play Above): In this special 150th broadcast edition of the District Attorney Show on the WGNS Action Line, host and retired Assistant District Attorney J. Paul Newman is joined by Rutherford County District Attorney General Jennings Jones and Assistant District Attorney Trevor Lynch to explore the profound impact of criminal activity on the community. This episode features a deep dive into the harrowing Jacob Pearman case, a 2013 Valentine’s Day murder that shocked the region. The team reconstructs the timeline from the initial December 2012 child abuse report—where a seven-year-old was found barefoot in sub-freezing temperatures—to the tragic murder of Carla Pearman just two months later. Through interviews with lead investigator Detective James Abbott, the program examines the escalations of domestic violence and the subsequent trial that resulted in a life sentence for Jacob Pearman.
The broadcast also shifts focus to a plea for public assistance regarding the Cold Case Murder of Thomas Holland. Holland, a 45-year-old lifelong Murfreesboro resident and volunteer at Greenhouse Ministries, was found shot to death in a duplex driveway on East Northfield Boulevard in May 2020. Law enforcement provides specific contact details for Crime Stoppers and the Murfreesboro Police Department, offering a reward for information leading to an arrest. Finally, the program concludes with an "Inside the Courts" segment, providing updates on several pending first-degree murder cases and an educational overview of Tennessee’s legal standards regarding diminished capacity.
