New law aims to bring justice to victims, address repeat offenders through bail reform

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — For some crime victims, justice is hard to come by.

They go through the process and navigate the system only to find out that the suspect in their case received a low bond and walked free. It’s a reality that too many people deal with in Tennessee. However, starting July 1, a new law could change that.

“It’s creating chaos in our community, and it’s creating more innocent victims, and it’s kind of gotten out of control lately and so we have to look at the solution. What are the solutions to keep our public safe and also be reasonable about bail,” said Verna Wyatt, co-founder of Tennessee Voices for Victims.

Over the past year, more than 3,000 people have been arrested for a violent crime in Nashville. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), 16 percent of them have been re-arrested and were out on a pre-trail bond.

“Shocking, and in my opinion, unnecessary in many cases. And that’s heartbreaking,” Wyatt said. “There are so many of these cases that it’s being called to attention and people are getting tired of it, they’re getting fed up with it.”

“We’re sounding the alarm,” said Police Chief John Drake before the media on Monday, April 29. “Over and over and over again, just the same people being rearrested, charged with violent crime.”

Earlier this year, Jamien Taylor was charged with attempted kidnapping and assault. His bond is set at $75,000, which will require a source hearing before a judge before he could be considered for release.

Taylor’s arrest on Friday, April 26 came days after authorities announced he was arrested for making sexual advances toward a woman in an elevator . In that case, the Community Bail Fund posted his $3,000 bond on Tuesday, April 23 and he was released.

Then, MNPD put out an alert for 19-year-old Adrian Cameron Jr. after they identified him as one of the three suspects involved in the shooting death of rapper Chris King.

At the time of the shooting, Cameron Jr. was out on bond for the September 2021 murder of 50-year-old Josh Evans, according to investigators . In that case, Cameron Jr. allegedly shot and killed Evans and dumped his body in the Cumberland River. Authorities recovered Evans’ body from the river on Sept. 13, 2021. That criminal homicide case was transferred from Juvenile Court to Criminal Court.

Some relief from these frustrations may be on the way. In less than a week, new laws will take effect. One of those laws will require judges to consider public safety and not someone’s financial situation when setting bail.

“If you have committed a violent act, if you have a violent history, if you don’t have a job, if you don’t have good family support, then you need to be behind bars,” Wyatt said. “It doesn’t matter how poor you are. It doesn’t matter what color you are, and it doesn’t matter what social standing you have. Across the board, you need to be behind bars.”

It’s a reality that Wyatt knows all too well. She helped co-found Tennessee Voices for Victims after violence hit her family.

“Thirty years ago, my sister-in-law was raped and murdered by somebody who was out on bond, a low bond,” Wyatt recalled. “If he would have been in jail where he belonged, that murder would have never happened.”

It was February 1991 when school teacher Martha Wyatt suddenly disappeared. Three days later, law enforcement pulled her body out of the Cumberland River. Martha was found raped and murdered. It was a brutal crime that motivated Wyatt to advocate for victims inside the justice system.

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

“That didn’t have to happen. If that person would have just — if the system would have just kept that person in jail where they belong, they already proved that they didn’t need to be out anyway,” Wyatt said. “If they would have just kept them in, this would have never happened. We would have still have our loved one.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.