STATE OF TENNESSEE v. CHRIS GREEN - Articles

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STATE OF TENNESSEE v. CHRIS GREEN

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 23, 2026

Court: TN Court of Criminal Appeals

Attorneys 1: William W. Gill, Assistant Public Defender – Appellate Division, Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference (on appeal); Todd Estep, District Public Defender; and Roland Cowden, Assistant District Public Defender (at trial), for the appellant, Chris Green.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; Courtney N. Orr, Deputy Attorney General; Dan E. Armstrong, District Attorney General; and Paul J. Hornick, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): SWORD

The Defendant, Chris Green, was convicted by a Hawkins County Criminal Court jury of robbery and facilitation to commit aggravated assault, for which he received an effective sentence of twenty-five years’ incarceration as a Range III, persistent offender. The trial court also ordered the Defendant to pay $7,500 in fines as part of his sentence. On appeal, the Defendant argues the trial court erred by classifying him as a Range III, persistent offender because the State failed to prove he had received five qualifying prior felony convictions and because the trial court conducted an unconstitutional factual inquiry into the nature of the underlying offenses. The Defendant also argues the trial court failed to make sufficient findings to support its imposition of fines. Following our review, we reverse the Defendant’s sentences and remand for resentencing consistent with this opinion. Because we conclude that the State failed to meet its burden of proof regarding the Defendant’s sentencing range, we do not address the Defendant’s constitutional claim.

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