Shelby County Man Released After Serving 25 Years of a 162-Year Sentence
Convicted of only nonviolent theft and forgery charges, Judge Paula Skahan and the SCDAG’s Office deemed the 162-year sentence excessive.
Shelby County, TN – (December 13, 2022) – After serving 25 years of a 162-year sentence, a Memphis man will now be released. This comes after Judge Paula Skahan and the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office reviewed and reopened Courtney Anderson’s case.
In the late 1990s, Anderson went to jail and was later convicted of multiple counts of theft and forgery charges. In 2000, the trial sentenced Anderson to 162 years, 11 months, and 29 days. As a repeat offender, the judge gave the maximum amount of time on each conviction and required the sentences to be served consecutive to each other.
The defendant attempted to appeal his convictions based on excessive sentencing, but the appellate court denied his appeals for procedural reasons, such as not attaching the correct transcripts.
In April 2022, the defendant filed a pro se motion in Criminal court to “correct an illegal sentence.” Judge Paula Skahan reviewed the motion and brought the situation to the attention of the SCDAG’s office. Judge Skahan believed the sentence was technically a
“legal” sentence, but was excessive. She then requested the SCDAG’s office to investigate what, if anything, could be done. The SCDAG’s office, along with defense counsel, researched and found a legal ground for reopening the case.
Tuesday, Judge Skahan reduced Anderson’s sentence to 15 years, an effective time-served sentence.
“This was clearly an excessive sentence, the kind of overreaction that sows distrust in our system and doesn’t make us safer, “said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. “I’m pleased to have helped in correcting this injustice. It’s an illustration of the good that reform prosecutors can do.”
Anderson, who was brought to tears when receiving the modified sentence, is now 54-years-old. He explained to the judge that he committed the crimes 25 years ago because of a cocaine addiction but has been clean for decades. Anderson plans to reside in Virginia with his sister and said he looks forward to enjoying the holidays with family.
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The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office, led by DA Steve Mulroy, serves more than 920,000 Memphis and Shelby County residents. DA Mulroy and his team of prosecutors are committed to a safer and fairer Shelby County. Learn more about the work of the SCDAG’s office by visiting scdag.com.