Governor Lee Grants Executive Clemency to 33 Individuals, Including Music Artist Jelly Roll
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On Thursday, December 18, 2025, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced executive clemency decisions for 33 individuals.
“After thoroughly reviewing the merits of each case, I have decided to grant 33 individuals executive clemency,” said Governor Lee. “Each individual case is unique and warranted consideration, and I thank the Board of Parole members for their thoughtful recommendations throughout this process.”
Executive clemency decisions are made in consultation with the Tennessee Board of Parole, which issues non-binding recommendations for each case. Individuals who have applied for clemency but are not included in today’s release remain eligible for clemency in the future.
The Governor will grant one type of clemency today:
Pardon: An official statement of forgiveness; pardons are granted to individuals who have completed their sentences and have been living freely in their communities for at least five years.
Additional forms of executive clemency are an exoneration and commutation, which the Governor will not grant in this round of decisions.
Additional information on executive clemency may be found here.
Executive Clemency Pardons
Janet Babb
Shawn Baker
Shawn Boss
Thomas Braly
Monty Burks
Grant Burnside
Jason DeFord (Jelly Roll)
Lanisha Edmond
Andy Giron-Freay
Melissa Halpin
Edward Hayes
Willie Horton
Jeffrey Jackson
Joshua Jarvis
Nathan Jones
Jeffrey Kimbel
Jeffrey Kottler
Kristy Locklear
Robert McEwen
Temeka Nixon
William Reed
Alan Roberts
Hector Ruiz
Angela Sellers
Clark Shepherd
Erika Smith
Jessica Stanley
Matthew Wade
Anthony Walton
Kennda Watkins
Clay Watkins
Steven Welch
Tenisha Woods
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