The Tennessee Appeals Court in Nashville will hear a Rutherford County case over a live internet stream this week.

The case deals with an appeal that focuses on the admissibility of preliminary hearing testimony after the victim was killed and unavailable when an email to a detective contradicted some of the statements that were previously made in court. The appeal was filed by a Smyrna man who was found guilty of raping his estranged wife who testified against him in court, but later found dead.

In 2016, Lawrence Eugene Allen was found guilty of rape and domestic assault against his estranged wife who was murdered. The 53-year-old Smyrna man will be 71 upon his release from prison in year 2038.

Victim Kimberly Allen testified against her estranged husband and one week later she was found murdered. A man living with Mrs. Allen at the time of her death plead guilty to killing her in 2018. In that case 36-year-old Eric Ellis will be 90 when he is eligible for release.

Live-Stream of Court Cases:

Since June, the intermediate appellate courts have live-streamed more than 50 oral arguments to YouTube. The Court of Criminal Appeals has been holding in-person proceedings while the Court of Appeals is holding remote hearings via Zoom. Subscribers to the TNCourts two YouTube channels will receive notice when a case begins.