Mt.Juliet man convicted of murder
Mar. 22—A Mt. Juliet man has been convicted of first degree murder, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.
Lucian Clemmons, 39, was arrested on March 17, 2021, following the fatal shooting of 55-year-old Lebanon resident James Ray Huddleston in Mt. Juliet. The incident occurred in the 300 block of Cedar Grove Church Road.
Clemmons and Huddleston had a "verbal altercation" outside the residence. After Huddleston had gone inside, Clemmons followed him into the home, where he shot Huddleston. Officers arrived to an unresponsive Huddleston.
It took the jury less than one hour to hand down a guilty verdict. Clemmons received life imprisonment for the conviction. Separate hearings will be held for the convictions of reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.
The other two charges stem from what occurred when Clemmons entered the house and fired five shots. In addition to the other adults present, there was also a 10-year-old sleeping on the couch. One of the bullets from Clemmons' gun struck the couch where the child was sleeping, resulting in the reckless endangerment charge.
Clemmons also pointed the gun at another adult present during the incident, resulting in the aggravated assault charge.
The prosecution was led by assistant district attorneys Tammy Meade and Laura Bush, making it the second case in the history of the Wilson County court district to be tried by an all-female prosecution team.
The evidence presented by Meade and Bush included eyewitness testimony, ballistics, DNA evidence, and gunshot residue.
"Of course, the cases are only as good as the proof that we have to work with," Wilson County District Attorney Jason Lawson conveyed in a press release. "Sheriff (Robert) Bryan and his team, led by Det. James Smith, did an outstanding job collecting the evidence, preserving the statements of the witnesses, and really letting the jury see first-hand exactly what happened during the commission of these crimes. It is to their credit that justice is achieved. "
