A man convicted of First Degree Murder in a Rutherford County Courtroom has filed an appeal seeking a new trial. Aldrick Lillard claims his attorneys provided ineffective assistance of counsel in their failure to raise a motion for a mistrial. The murderer is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Court records show that Lillard killed Randy Betts at his Smyrna home in 2005. Betts was shot once in the neck. After the victim was killed, Lillard and a female named Vanessa Claude allegedly used the credit card of the deceased to make a purchase at a store called New York Fashion that was located inside Hickory Hollow Mall. Claude reportedly allowed the clerk in the store to write down her drivers license number when the transaction was being made. It took the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department a matter of hours to track the woman down and eventually locate Lillard. Once at the house, authorities found Lillard hiding behind a bathroom door. They also found the victims credit card and a box of coins that were taken from Betts home.

According to the Court of Criminal Appeals, Lillard will remain behind bars for the rest of his life. Judge Camille R. McMullen affirmed the judgment of the post-conviction court.  

Mr. Betts was 49 when he was killed. 

Source:

Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
No. M2013-00414-CCA-R3-PC - Filed November 26, 2013