The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the second degree murder conviction of Warren County’s Marty Lynn Judd for the 2009 cold case killing of Rebecca Mooneyham.
Judge Steven W. Sword said the court found no error in the trial court’s handling of evidence or the sufficiency of the proof used to convict Judd. The defendant received an effective sentence of 26 years of incarceration following his 2024 trial for the August 28, 2009 murder.
“Although the State elicited new proof from this line of questioning, its questioning nevertheless served to refine Dennis’s testimony by placing the Defendant’s confession in context,” Sword said.
Sword said the case remained a cold case for a decade until Judd was arrested on October 17, 2019. Sword said a Warren County grand jury returned a two-count indictment in December 2019 charging Judd with first degree murder and possession of a prohibited weapon.
“The trial court did not abuse its discretion in overruling the Defendant’s objection regarding this exchange,” Sword said.
Sword said the appeal challenged the sufficiency of the convicting evidence and asserted that the trial court erred by overruling objections to hearsay and leading questions. Sword said the court found the state’s questioning served to refine testimony regarding a confession.
“Regardless, the Defendant has also not alleged or established that this line of questioning was in any way prejudicial to his defense,” Sword said.
Sword said the investigation involved a 2008 juvenile delinquency case where the victim’s son confessed to taking motorcycles from the home of Judd. Sword said Investigator James “Bo” Ramsey of the Warren County Sheriff’s Department testified about the prior legal proceedings involving the victim and the defendant.
“Following our review of the record and based upon the foregoing analysis, we affirm the judgments of the trial court,” Sword said.
Sword said the defendant is not entitled to relief.