Show Notes
With seven criminal charges dismissed, Gary Sutton's weekend was looking up, and he had a full day to hang around with his best friend, Tommy Griffin, and his Uncle James Dellinger. Before midnight, Tommy would be in jail and his trailer would be a smoldering heap. Episode Links ❓Beth questions trailer fire investigation 🔎 Wondering what it takes to investigate a decades old case? ☕Buy Beth a Coffee
Stay connected with Beth's reporting and follow along as the stories unfold. Follow us on your favorite platform. Beth Braden: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok Time of Death Podcast: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok Find us at www.timeofdeathpod.com
More from Time of Death
Time and trauma warps memories, and that leads to some shifting testimony between what some of the witnesses said in Blount County in 1996 versus what they said in Sevier County in 1992. Also, a closer look at the state's timeline proves impossible as Gary and James couldn't have been in two places at once several different times on February 21, 1992. ☕Buy Beth a Coffee 🗳️ Where to vote early in Tennessee 📄 Sevier County Case Files ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website 🌍 Google Map of Places of Note ⚖️ Justice for Gary Website
In some ways, the Blount County trial was identical to the first, right down to the order in which the state called its witnesses, but one of the waitresses from Howie's Hideaway had a brand new detail to her testimony. 🗳️ Where to vote early in Tennessee 🔍 2022 Review of Tennessee's Lethal Injection Protocol
This week, Nashville, Tennessee's Department of Emergency Communications released a series of phone calls that routed through the DEC on the night of September 30, 2026 — the same night that Christa Gail Pike was scheduled to be executed for the 1995 homicide of Colleen Slemmer. Pike, however, survived. Her botched execution paved the way for Gary Wayne Sutton's December 3, 2026, execution to be paused while Gov. Bill Lee called for another review of the state's lethal injection protocol. In this special bonus episode of Time of Death, Beth Braden walks you through the timeline of the phone calls as dispatchers and emergency personnel tried to figure out if the initial 911 call made from the prison was legitimate.
Gary's formal reprieve was filed, and he has at least a year before the Tennessee Supreme Court can set a new execution date. Christa Pike has woken up after her botched September 30 execution. And finally, Beth gets back to discussing the leadup to the 1996 Blount County trial. 🔍 2022 Review of Tennessee's Lethal Injection Protocol 📤 LAWYERS: Send Beth an Email 👩🏾⚖️ Judge orders that Christa Pike execution evidence be preserved 📰 Tennessee again taps former US Attorney to review execution protocol 📰 2023: Frank Strada Appointed to Oversee TDOC 🏜️ A brief history of the death penalty in Arizona 📄 Sevier County Case Files ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website 🌍 Google Map of Places of Note ⚖️ Justice for Gary Website ☕Buy Beth a Coffee Stay connected with Beth's reporting and follow along as the stories unfold. Follow us on your favorite platform. Beth Braden: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok Time of Death Podcast: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok Find us at www.timeofdeathpod.com
Things went terribly, terribly awry when the state of Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Gail Pike on September 30. It was so bad that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee cancelled Gary Wayne Sutton's Dec. 3 execution, but there is still so much work to do. 🗣️ Hear from Christa Pike's Attorneys