Jennifer hyatt murder of a correctional officer

Randall Scott Ridenour is hugged Wednesday by his wife, Michelle, and daughter, Brandi, after receiving a directed verdict of not guilty in connection with the escape of an inmate whose wife fatally shot a corrections officer. Randall Scott Ridenour. Latest Photo Galleries. Photos: 37th Tennessee Homecoming brings history to life.

Photos: Hurricane Matthew evacuees find shelter in Knoxville. Photos: Knoxville celebrates years. Photos: The third annual Pickle Fest. Photos: Church Street United Methodist celebrates bicentennial. Photos: school coupon book kick off celebration. Photos: Bristol in anticipation for Battle at Bristol. When prison officials found out about their relationship, they fired Jennifer Hyatte.

She married George Hyatte anyway, in a May ceremony at the prison. Three months later, she shot Morgan in the courthouse parking lot in Kingston and drove off with her husband. They spent one night together in a Kentucky motel room before their arrest the next night at a Columbus, Ohio, motel. In her letters from her Ohio cell, Hyatte writes that for the first time, she had taken control of her own destiny.

Get the new News Sentinel app. Local News. Posted: April 26, Jennifer Hyatte. Posted: April 26, 0. Latest Photo Galleries. Photos: 37th Tennessee Homecoming brings history to life. Photos: Hurricane Matthew evacuees find shelter in Knoxville. Photos: Knoxville celebrates years. Photos: The third annual Pickle Fest. Photos: Church Street United Methodist celebrates bicentennial.

Photos: school coupon book kick off celebration. Taking antibiotics and pain medication, Jennifer Hyatte wrote that she spent her days awaiting extradition "reading and eating and sleeping" when not thinking about George Hyatte. Records show George Hyatte has an extensive record of violent crimes dating back to , but a prosecutor in Rhea County, where George Hyatte began his criminal career as a thief, also described him as a smooth-talking ladies' man.

Correction officials said Jennifer Hyatte was fired from her job as a nurse at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville because of her relationship with George Hyatte. They were married in a prison service in May The upshot, according to Jennifer Hyatte, was that she and her husband were more than soulmates - they were two halves of the same soul.

At the time of his escape, George Hyatte was serving sentences totaling 41 years for a variety of offenses. In her confiscated letter to him, Jennifer Hyatte refers to the Star of David, which is a symbol of the Gangster Disciples, a Chicago-based gang. She was, evidently, willing to be recruited.

Jennifer hyatt murder of a correctional officer

In letters to friends and family, her tone is typically breezy and light, even asking relatives jokingly how her recently dyed hair looked on television. To another aunt, she wrote: "How is everybody doing on this fine evening? Wonderful, I hope. As for me, I am doing very well. The same night the Hyattes were charged with first-degree murder.

On August 10, , around p. On September 17, , Jennifer Hyatte pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. As a condition of the plea bargain which allowed her to avoid the death penalty , she agreed to testify against George Hyatte. On March 9, , he pleaded guilty to all charges, including the first-degree murder of Officer Wayne "Cotton" Morgan.

As a result, George Hyatte was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Contents move to sidebar hide.