District Attorney’s Office Nets First Degree Murder Conviction against James Keith Hudgins

On Friday, August 1, 2014, a Knox County jury convicted James Keith Hudgins, 48, of First Degree Murder and Employing a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony. Because of the nature of the crimes and mandatory sentencing statutes, Hudgins is facing life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of sixty-six years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. Judge Bob McGee pronounced the mandatory life sentence shortly after the jury returned their verdict Friday afternoon.

The case arose out of an October 16, 2013, altercation in which Hudgins shot the victim, Larry Turner, Jr., on Churchwell Avenue in North Knoxville. Knoxville Police Department Investigator Timothy Riddle investigated the case leading to the arrest of Hudgins. Assistant District Attorney TaKisha Fitzgerald of the A/B Felony Unit prosecuted the case. The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the jurors for their service and the Knoxville Police Department for their hard work and dedication.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.