Killer of Dickson County teen mother asks for early release

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — “Cold, calculated and pure evil.” That’s how a former TBI agent remembers the brutal murder of a 17-year-old Dickson County woman over 30 years ago.

James Spann pled guilty to shooting Karie Newberry in the head several times then he set her body on fire.

Now, his fate is in the hands of a Tennessee Board of Parole as he asks for an early release from prison.

“I decimated the body because I thought if I covered everything up then I wouldn’t get in trouble. Which all I did was make everything worse,” Spann said Wednesday during his hearing.

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They were egregious details that Karie Newberry’s family had to relive after Spann went before the Board of Parole asking for early release.

“Once she bent down to tie her shoes, he shoots her in the head four times,” Mike Breedlove, TBI lead agent for the case said on Wednesday.

Former TBI Agent Breedlove said Spann would then drag her body to the woods, shoot her again, returning later to set her body on fire.

“I’ve been locked up for 30 years, I’ve worked hard to improve myself as a person,” Spann said.

Wednesday was the third time Spann has asked for early release . It’s something Karie’s family hopes he never receives .

“I spent my entire life not knowing what it would be like to have my mom because he took her. If she can’t come home to me then he shouldn’t get a second chance at life either,” said D.J. Tucker, Karie’s son.

Tucker was five months old at the time his mother was murdered.

“I do not vote for you to be released today,” Board Member Zane Duncan said on Wednesday.

It was a sigh of relief for Karie’s family as Duncan recommended another hearing two years from now.

“Reliving it over and over, it’s hard. But we will do whatever we have to do to make sure he stays locked up. And we will take the two years, even if that’s every two years,” said Brandy Richardson, Karie’s sister.

Two years from now, Karie’s sister and her son said they would be back and continue to fight to keep Spann behind bars for his full sentence.

“I’m always going to fight, I feel like that’s the one thing I can do as her son. Not only for her but for our entire family,” Tucker said.

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The seven-member board will now independently review Spann’s parole case. At least four members need to agree on a final decision, which could take a few weeks.

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