Tennessee appellate panel hears arguments in Thomas Arnold appeal over premeditation, prosecutor’s closing remarks

An appellate panel in Tennessee heard oral arguments in the appeal of Thomas Mac Arnold, who was convicted of first-degree murder for a shooting that the parties say occurred Sept. 27, 2020, at a residence near the Bledsoe County line in Cumberland County.

Appellate counsel Joe White, representing Arnold, told the panel the central question is whether the trial evidence supported a finding of premeditation and whether a prosecutor’s closing remark—characterizing the defendant as saying “I shot him”—amounted to prosecutorial misconduct that deprived Arnold of due process. White said the record shows conflicting witness accounts about whether the shooter wore a mask, whether a weapon was procured by Arnold, and whether a shotgun was present; he argued the jury’s verdict was “unreasonable and irrational” in light of those conflicts.

White pointed to factual disputes and testimonial gaps that, he said, undercut the State’s case for premeditation. He emphasized that exterior witnesses testified they saw Arnold arrive with a backpack, walk to the back…