The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed multiple convictions stemming from a domestic incident in which Terrence Feaster inflicted serious injuries upon his then-girlfriend, Molly Kate McWhirter, at her Knox County residence.
In May of 2012, Feaster accompanied Ms. McWhirter to a sports bar in Knox County. According to Feaster, he became angry when he saw Ms. McWhirter kissing another man in the parking lot outside the bar. When the two returned to Ms. McWhirter’s residence, Feaster beat her, dragged her through the house, and tied her feet to an entertainment center with an extension cord. The jury rejected Feaster’s claim of self-defense and convicted him of attempted voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment. The trial court gave Feaster a sentence of 27 years, and the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the decision.
On appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court, Feaster argued that his dual convictions for attempted voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault arising out of the same incident constituted double jeopardy, or being sentenced twice for substantially the same offense. The Supreme Court rejected Feaster’s claim of double jeopardy, concluding that the dual convictions could stand because the offenses are composed of different elements.
To read the State v. Terrence Justin Feaster opinion authored by Justice Gary R. Wade, go to TNCourts.gov.