NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee appellate court has denied relief to a Wilson County man convicted in a 2010 murder and robbery, leaving his decades-long prison sentence intact. While the case dates back to 2010, the sentence officially began in 2012, with the defendant receiving credit for time already served. The conviction and sentencing followed more than a year after his arrest.

According to documents released on Thursday, March 26, 2026, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a post-conviction petition filed by 52-year-old Shun M. Ramey. The court ruled that Ramey’s petition was filed well beyond the legal deadline and did not qualify for any exception that would allow it to proceed.

Court records show the case stems from a violent incident on November 3, 2010 that unfolded outside the city limits of Mt. Juliet at a residence on Hickory Drive. Authorities said Ramey entered the home of Phillip Cortez Smith, shot him during a confrontation, and ultimately killed him with a gunshot to the head. A second victim, identified as Smith’s girlfriend, was held at gunpoint and forced to assist Ramey in searching for money before escaping and alerting authorities.

In January 2011, a Wilson County grand jury indicted Ramey on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and especially aggravated kidnapping. He later entered a guilty plea in July 2012 to the lesser charge of second-degree murder, receiving a 40-year sentence to be served at 100 percent. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges.

More than a decade later, in July 2025, Ramey filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging ineffective assistance of counsel and claiming he should have undergone a psychiatric evaluation before entering his plea. He argued that mental health issues impaired his ability to assist in his defense and understand the proceedings.

However, both the trial court and the appellate court found the petition to be untimely. Tennessee law requires such petitions to be filed within one year of a conviction becoming final. Judges noted that Ramey filed his petition approximately 12 years after that deadline and failed to demonstrate any legal basis—such as new evidence or due process concerns—that would justify tolling the statute of limitations.

In its ruling, the appellate court concluded that the lower court acted properly in dismissing the petition without a hearing, stating that Ramey “failed to establish that he was entitled to due process tolling” and was therefore not eligible for relief.

As a result of the decision, Ramey will continue serving his sentence. He is scheduled to remain incarcerated until October 3, 2047. Upon his eligible release date, he will be 74 years old.

He is currently located in Hickman County, Tennessee at the Turney Center Industrial Complex, a state prison under the Department of Correction that originally opened in 1971.