Time of Death
Gary Wayne Sutton is scheduled for execution on December 3, 2026, for the 1992 murders of Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam. However, questions linger about whether the state of Tennessee proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. This podcast examines the evidence and the legal proceedings surrounding the case.
Episodes
19. Gary Gets a Rare Win + Christa Pike Wakes Up
Gary's formal reprieve was filed, and he has at least a year before the Tennessee Supreme Court can set a new execution date. Christa Pike has woken up after her botched September 30 execution. And finally, Beth gets back to discussing the leadup to the 1996 Blount County trial. 🔍 2022 Review of Tennessee's Lethal Injection Protocol 📤 LAWYERS: Send Beth an Email 👩🏾⚖️ Judge orders that Christa
18. BREAKING NEWS: A Botched Execution + Gary's Reprieve
Things went terribly, terribly awry when the state of Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Gail Pike on September 30. It was so bad that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee cancelled Gary Wayne Sutton's Dec. 3 execution, but there is still so much work to do. 🗣️ Hear from Christa Pike's Attorneys 📃 Documents Referenced in the Episode 📹 Replay the Tennessean's livestream of the post-execution press confe
17. Won't You Stay? Gary's Attorneys Ask for Pause on Execution
Gary Wayne Sutton's attorneys have formally asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to stay his execution pending the outcome of his intellectual disability claim. Plus, Beth looks at the time period between the Sevier County conviction and the Blount County Trial. ALSO - The Sevier County case files and transcripts are now available on Beth's website. Episode Links 📁 Sevier County Case Files 📜 Gary
16. One Headlight: The Sevier County Trial Part 3
Did the jury get lost in the weeds when testimony about Gary's headlights dealt a devastating blow to the defense's credibility? Also in this episode, the witnesses used to bolster the state's theory that it was Gary and his uncle, James, beating Tommy Griffin on the side of Alcoa Highway both said they saw a dark colored Chevrolet Camaro. Gary owned a dark colored Camaro, but the witnesses disagr
15. No Evidence: The Sevier County Trial Part 2
A man at Howie's Hideaway, and a woman who tracked Gary across Sevier County cause a huge problem with the state's timeline and theory regarding Connie Branam's death. PLUS - a world renowned forensic anthropologist responded to the scene of Connie Branam's burned car. Find out what he could and couldn't discern from the evidence. Beth also explains how she's keeping the witnesses organized in her
14. I Didn't Say That: The Sevier County Trial Part 1
Changing stories and denials came out as Gary Sutton and James Dellinger's attorneys began cross examining witnesses during the 1993 Sevier County Trial for the death of Connie Branam. But who's telling the truth? Also - Beth does a deep dive into Dr. Mark Fowler, the physician who oversees executions in Tennessee. It turns out that MD isn't his first career. Today marks 98 days until Gary Wayne
13. Pulled Rugs and Last Minute Revisions
The past, present, and future collided for this episode as Anthony Darrell Hines execution came just days after the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that Gary Wayne Sutton's intellectual disability hearing can move forward. Gary's celebration was short-lived as the Tennessee Attorney General filed another appeal - this time to the state Supreme Court asking for them to vacate the rulin
12. (Alleged) Alt Suspects and Rabbit Holes Part 3
Bill Cogdill, the fourth and final alleged alternate suspect, had some pretty specific details about Connie Branam's crime scene several days before Connie was found burned in her car near Clear Fork in Wears Valley, Tennessee. Plus, hear what a former member of the execution team wrote to Governor Bill Lee about his experience carrying out execution. Episode Links 📰 Tennessee Lookout: Republic
11. (Alleged) Alternate Suspects and Rabbit Holes Part 2
It turns out that not only were Connie Branam and Tommy Griffin supposed to be witnesses in a trial the week before their deaths…they were being subpoenaed as prosecution witnesses, but nobody seems to know why + another Republican lawmaker is calling for a review of the state's lethal injection protocol. 👨 Gov. Bill Lee Statement to WVLT 🌍 History of Cherokee, North Carolina ✉️ Rep. Jody Bar
10. (Alleged) Alternate Suspects and Rabbit Holes - Part 1
Who are Bobby Floyd, Eddie Blair, Lester Johnson, and Bill Cogdill? Beth looks into the alternate suspects that, for whatever reason, were mostly ignored during Gary Sutton's homicide trials in Blount and Sevier Counties. Also, get updates on Carolyn Weaver's recent health scares, a group of Republican senators asking Governor Bill Lee to halt executions, and a letter from Gary's attorney to Bill
9. The Race Was On
🧑⚖️ Christa Pike asks Supreme Court to Halt Execution over abuse, illness 📣 Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine calls to abolish death penalty in Ohio, victim's family reacts ☕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 Stay connected with Beth's reporting and follow along as the stories unfold. F
8. No Turning Back
Connie Branam's car is found along Clear Fork above Wears Valley, and the cops conduct a search of James Dellinger's home. Then, Gary and James are arrested and charged with Connie's death. Episode Links 🎧 Listen to Beth on Truth and Justice with Bob Ruff 🟢 Spotify Link 🍎 Apple Link 🏢 Beth tries to take a VCR to the Sevier County Courthouse ☕Buy Beth a Coffee 💉 Tennessee's Lethal Injection
7. The Space Between
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
6. The Discovery
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. ACL
5. Another Saturday Night
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 L
4. Diverging Timelines
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 a
3. Finally Friday
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 C
2. The Bells that Tolled Before
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 no
1. One Weekend in February
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 arc
