Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals hears challenge to 45-year sentence in Michael Chad Owens case

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in Nashville heard oral arguments in June in State of Tennessee v. Michael Chad Owens, where the appellant challenged his convictions for sale and delivery of heroin and methamphetamine, the admissibility of evidence tied to a confidential informant who died before trial, and the length and fines in a combined 45‑year sentence.

Why it matters: The arguments center on whether gaps in the trial record and the handling of evidence undermined the jury’s verdicts and whether sentencing and fines imposed by the trial court were excessive. A ruling by the appeals court could affect how lower courts handle video evidence, confidential informants who cannot testify, and procedures for preserving objections on the record.

Appellant’s case and issues on appeal Minjee Ball, attorney for the appellant Michael Chad Owens, told the court that Owens was convicted by a jury in April 2023 on four counts: sale of heroin (count 1), delivery of heroin (count 2), sale of methamphetamine (count 3) and delivery of methamphetamine (count 4). Ball said the state’s evidence showed the heroin weighed “0.1 grams or less” and the methamphetamine “right at 0.2 grams.” Ball said the trial court sentenced Owens on June 20, 2023, as a persistent offender to an effective 45‑year term and imposed fines of $40,000 (count 1), $15,000 (count 2), $20,000 (count 3) and $15,000 (count 4).

Ball told the panel that she raised multiple trial‑level objections that were…