Tennessee Supreme Court Hears Appeal Over Admission of Prior-shooting and Gang Evidence in Devonte Hill Conviction

Emma Ray Tennant, counsel for appellant Devonte Hill, urged the Tennessee Supreme Court to reverse his conviction and remand for a new trial, arguing that two evidentiary rulings at trial were reversible error.

Tennant, of the Nashville Public Defender’s Office, told the court the record contains eight issues on appeal but asked the justices to focus on (1) the trial court’s decision to allow testimony about an unrelated prior shooting after finding Hill had "opened the door," and (2) the introduction of evidence of Hill’s alleged gang membership. "He did not say he did not know that," Tennant said, arguing the defendant’s repeated statements on direct—"I wasn't thinking"—were taken out of context and did not reasonably mislead the jury into thinking Hill claimed he lacked knowledge that firing a gun could hurt someone.

Tennant pointed to the record to show context: she…