Time of Death
Gary Wayne Sutton is scheduled for execution on 12/3/26 for the 1992 murders of Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam, but questions linger about whether or not the state of Tennessee proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Episodes
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
