Conviction in 2016 Murfreesboro murder upheld by state Appeals Court

Oct 29, 2021 at 09:19 am by Michelle Willard


The Tennessee Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of Cassius Dominique Ivory for the 2016 shooting death of Donte Johnson.

According to the police report, Johnson was found dead behind Vie at Murfreesboro, 1345 Wenlon Dr. near MTSU campus. Johnson had apparently died from gunshot wounds.

Ivory, who was 24 at the time of his arrest in 2017, was one of four men arrested and charged with First Degree Murder, Especially Aggravated Robbery, Tampering with Evidence, False Reports to an Officer and Accessory After the Fact. Ivory was later convicted of first degree murder and especially aggravated robbery in Judge David Bragg's court. 

In his appeal, Ivory argued that the state failed to disclose a preferential agreement with a witness and failed to produce certain pretrial statements. He also claimed the trial court failed to merge certain offenses, and that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions. 

The appellate court found the record establishes that the prosecution did not fail to disclose a preferential agreement or pretrial statements. It also found the trial court properly merged the offenses, and the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions. Based on these findings, the appeal was denied and the judgments of the trial court were affirmed.

 

Sections: Crime & Safety