Haslam grants executive clemency to 4

Friday, July 27, 2018, Vol. 42, No. 30

NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam has granted executive clemency to four people and is considering more requests.

Haslam announced Thursday that Michelle Lea Martin's 25-year prison sentence was commuted to supervised parole.

Martin pleaded guilty to her father's 2001 second-degree murder. He abused her mother and inflicted childhood sexual and drug abuse on Martin. Martin earned a GED and college degree.

Ralph Randall Reagan was pardoned for 1980 and 1982 burglary convictions and his 1984 escape conviction. He earned a theology doctorate and started a homeless shelter.

Robert James Sheard Jr. was pardoned for 1984 misdemeanor assault and battery conviction. He was a 30-year Memphis city employee and youth mentor.

Steven Lee Kennedy's pardon for his 1979 aiding and abetting fraudulent credit card use conviction follows Navy service from 1981 to 2008.