by Sharon Rondeau
(Apr. 13, 2023) – Tennessee inmate Jason Lamar White will be returning to a Massachusetts-based radio show, “Shedding Light,” at 2:00 PM EDT Thursday after an initial interview with host Leonna Brindao six months ago.
The Post & Email has followed White’s case since his conviction for allegedly devising a scheme to sell methamphetamine in a section of Memphis where a school was located. His then-girlfriend, Kristina Cole, was implicated when she retrieved a package left on her porch in a “controlled delivery” by the Bartlett Police Department and the two convicted after a July 2017 trial.
On Tuesday, The Post & Email received confirmation that Cole was granted parole following a recommendation from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee resulting from a change in a state statute approximately 2 1/2 years after Cole was incarcerated for a total sentence of 13.5 years.
Cole had no previous criminal history and maintained her innocence throughout her ordeal.
White has also denied involvement in the scheme and filed numerous appeals to his conviction and subsequent sentence of 60 years without the possibility of parole and a $2,000 fine. Last summer, his claims aired during a long-awaited post-conviction petition hearing were denied by Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Robert “Bobby” Carter, Jr. in an opinion issued after Carter’s official retirement date.
White is housed in New Mexico at a clear disadvantage to acquiring access to Tennessee law.
Brindao bills White’s conviction as “wrongful,” and The Post & Email has exposed how White’s online record first showed him charged with two “Class E” felonies which were upgraded without explanation to two “Class A” felonies, the most serious class in Tennessee.
The link to listen to the show is here.