State Representative Jeremy Faison Passes Legislation to Help Citizens Wrongly Convicted of Violent Crimes

Tennessee Representative Jeremy Faison, Ray Krone

The Tennessee House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed legislation sponsored by State Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) that would help ensure innocent individuals are not wrongly put to death for crimes they did not commit.  House Bill 2377 requires law enforcement officials to hold on to biological evidence collected for cases in which the defendant is sentenced to death or life without parole.

Under this bill, all biological evidence gathered in relation to a crime in which the defendant received a death sentence must be preserved by officials until the person has passed away or all related charges that led to the conviction have been dismissed.

“I’m honored to have had the opportunity to carry and pass this piece of legislation that was brought to me by one of my constituents, Ray Krone,” said Representative Faison.  “Mr. Krone was put on death row for a murder he didn’t commit and, unfairly, lost a total of ten years and eight months of his life in jail.  Thankfully, law enforcement kept the biological evidence from the crime scene in Mr. Krone’s case and as technological and scientific advances were made, officials realized that he was, in fact, innocent.  By now requiring law enforcement to preserve this type of evidence, it’s my hope that others won’t have to experience what Mr. Krone had to endure.”

Having passed both the House and Senate, the bill now will go to the Governor for his signature before becoming law.  Additional information regarding this legislation can be found at the General Assembly website at: http://goo.gl/IqR2Cx