Time of Death

Gary Wayne Sutton has been in prison for 34 years. He's spent 30 of them on death row. The State of Tennessee is scheduled to execute him on December 3, 2026….but was his guilt proven beyond a reasonable doubt?  Episode Links 📸 Photo of Carolyn & Gary from 1993 🗞️ "4 Tennessee death row inmates scheduled for execution in 2026" - WJHL, Jan 16, 2026 📸 One of Beth's many visits to Sevier County's archives 🎤 Dolly Parton's America Podcast  ☕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 were tense in the holler on Bluff Heights in the months leading up to the death of Tommy Griffin and Connie Branum, but Gary Sutton finally got some good news. 📱 Text or call 988 if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts - 988lifeline.org  📸 Beth pays her respects at Martin Justus Cemetery 📃 Atkins v. Virginia overview & opinions - Justia 🗞️ "Nashville DA says death row inmate should not face execution due to intellectual disability" - The Tennessean, March 11, 2022 ☕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  

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  

Alcoa, Tennessee, police officers find Tommy Griffin shirtless and beaten on the night of February 21, 1992, and arrest him for public intoxication. The state's theory of the case diverges as it maintains that it was Gary and James who beat Tommy that night while Gary and James say they were already back home in the holler.  Episode Links 🎧 True Crimecast Episode on Gary Sutton 📰 WSMV Article about Tony Caruthers  🖋️ Petition for Tennessee's Governor Bill Lee to review Gary Sutton's case  ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website  🌍 Google Map of Places of Note - Including the changes to Alcoa Highway  🎥 Beth, Carolyn, and Amy go to Bluff Heights Road  ☕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  

Connie Branam sat up nearly all night after her brother's trailer burned to the ground on February 21, 1992. On February 22, she began looking for him, and she ended up back at Howie's Hideaway in Maryville with Gary Sutton and James Dellinger. Episode Links ☕Buy Beth a Coffee  📰 WBIR - James Dellinger Dies in Prison  🧑‍⚖️ Tennessee Supreme Court Order for Gary Sutton's Execution 💉 Tennessee's Lethal Injection Protocol Manual  ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website  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

The Tennessee  Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay in Gary Sutton's intellectual disability hearing, and Governor Bill Lee has granted Tony Caruthers a temporary reprieve from execution following a failed execution attempt on 5/21/26. Then, we go back in time to some very interesting details about what Tommy Griffin didn't have with him when he was found in Walland on February 24, 1992.  ACLU Files Lawsuit Bill Lee Tuesday Statement  Riverbend Maximum Security Institution  Bill Lee / Tennessee Department of Corrections Thursday Statement Witnesses Speak after Failed Execution Tennessean report on the failed execution Commercial Appeal report on the failed execution  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  

Blount County Chief Detective Dale Gourley speaks to the media about Tommy Griffin's death and Connie Branam's disappearance as searchers comb Sevier County for the missing woman. Gary Sutton, reeling from the death of his best friend, talks to police twice, not realizing that the walls are closing in around him.  Also in this episode - updates from last week's failed execution of Tony Carruthers and the silence from the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in Gary's intellectual disability hearing.  ☕Buy Beth a Coffee  ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website  🌍 Google Map of Places of Note - Including the changes to Alcoa Highway  Relevant Articles  WBIR: Gary Sutton supporters hold press conference  WVLT: Death row inmate supporters rally at Blount County Courthouse after failed execution of Tony Carruthers WATE: Supporters of Gary Sutton speak after Tony Carruthers's botched execution  Action News 5: ACLU calls on Bill Lee to halt executions pending resolution of lawsuit  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