In a unanimous decision Monday, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the death sentence a Madison County jury imposed on Farris Genner Morris, Jr, who confessed to killing two victims and raping a third neighbor after forcing his way into their home.
Morris was convicted of two counts of first degree murder and one count of aggravated rape. In addition to upholding the death sentence for one of the first degree murder convictions, Justices affirmed a life without parole sentence the jury imposed for the other first degree murder conviction and the 25-year sentence the trial judge imposed for the rape conviction. The court rejected all issues raised by Morris in the direct appeal. Under state law, direct appeal of a death sentence is automatically reviewed by the Supreme Court.
“We have reviewed the entire record and the arguments raised in this case and we conclude that the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction and that the issues raised by the defendant do not warrant relief,” Chief Justice Riley Anderson wrote for the court. “We have also determined that the evidence supported the jury’s findings of two aggravating circumstances, that the evidence supported the jury’s finding that these aggravating circumstances outweighed mitigating evidence beyond a reasonable doubt and that the death sentence in this case was not arbitrary, excessive or disproportionate.”
Morris was sentenced to death for the Sept. 17, 1994, stabbing and bludgeoning death of 15-year-old Erica Hurd. He also received life without parole for killing Charles Ragland by shooting him in the head and 25 years for raping Ragland’s wife, Angela Ragland.
In his confession to police, Morris said he had smoked crack cocaine before committing the murders and rape. Prior to the crimes, Morris said he asked Ragland, who lived in an adjoining Jackson duplex, to sell him some “dope.” When Ragland said he did not sell drugs, Morris told him he would “regret disrespecting me.” He later forced his way into the duplex by holding a shotgun to Erica Hurd’s head and again asked, “where the dope was.” Charles Ragland again told him “didn’t have any,” but offered to give him money.
Morris ordered Charles Ragland onto the floor, placed a pillow on his head and shot him to death. After ordering the teenage victim into a closet and tying Angela Ragland to a bed, Morris removed Erica Hurd from the closet, stabbed her 37 times, and beat her in the face and head. Morris then forced Angela Ragland to bathe him and prepare food for him before repeatedly raping her.
