Claude Francis Garrett's 1992 murder conviction tossed in latest effort to review past cases
Claude Francis Garrett is not guilty of murder in the 1992 death of his girlfriend Lorie Lee Lance, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Lance died in an Old Hickory house fire, and two juries convicted Garrett in the death on what is now considered junk fire science.
He has always maintained his innocence. In court Tuesday in blue prison clothing, a light blue shirt and dark blue pants, he watched the judge intently. When the judge read out the order vacating his conviction, he let out a long breath, nodding in relief.
All charges against him were dismissed Tuesday.
In the gallery of the courtroom, supporters and advocates quietly celebrated his release. He was taken back from the courtroom to be released from Tennessee Department of Correction custody.
Garrett's daughter Deana Watson said Tuesday she is happy her father will be released from custody, though she is a little nervous and unsteady.
She's not really sure what comes next. Watson was 4 years old when her father went to prison. Now she has a 4-year-old son of her own.
"The plan is that he hangs out with me for a while and then we figure it out," Watson said. "We had a whole conversation about cell phones and how they work. We will help him reintegrate into society."
1992 fire death called arson
Lance, 24, died of smoke inhalation in the house the pair shared in Old Hickory after a massive fire that Garrett escaped, suffering burns.
She was found under a pile of household items in a utility room with no outside exit that sat off the kitchen.
Investigators at the time believed they found evidence of a "pour pattern" in the house, indicators that an accelerant was purposefully placed and ignited to start a fire.
Police quickly landed on her older boyfriend, Garrett, as a suspect.
But in the nearly 30 years since that fatal early morning blaze, fire science has undergone a revolution in research and methodology, and according new reports and testimony by witnesses for the Tennessee Innocence Project and the Davidson County District Attorney's Conviction Review Unit, the blaze was not intentionally set.
"Garrett has shown actual innocence," Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins wrote in a ruling vacating Garrett's previous conviction filed last week. "The Court is satisfied that Petitioner has presented clear and convincing evidence showing that no reasonable jury would have convicted Claude Garrett of felony murder in light of the new scientific evidence."
Fire science at trial was incorrect
The original conviction was "based on outdated investigative methods and baseless conclusions," according to a statement released Tuesday by the DA's office.
Overturning the case has taken years, and the recent push was successful after an "extensive collaborative investigation," by both offices, the statement said.
"That erroneous testimony — which asserted the fire in this case was an act of arson — lacked any scientific foundation," a joint statement from Garrett's defense attorneys shared Tuesday indicated. "Attorneys proved at a hearing, and the Court agreed, that under current fire science standards, a reasonable investigator could not possibly conclude the evidence showed the fire was intentionally set."
The attorneys chose not to make statements in court.
Garrett was in this proceeding represented by Jessica Van Dyke and Jason Gichner of the Tennessee Innocence Project and Assistant Federal Public Defender Michael Holley. Director of the CRU, Sunny Eaton, asked Watkins Tuesday to dismiss the charges with the support of the DA's office.
Watkins, who has held the seat since 2003, last week lost the Democratic primary to keep his seat to a newcomer to the bench, Khadija Babb.
Reach reporter Mariah Timms at mtimms@tennessean.com or 615-259-8344 and on Twitter @MariahTimms.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 1992 arson murder charges dropped against Nashville man Claude Garrett after conviction review
