Posted on 06/09/2021 5:20:20 PM PDT by a fool in paradise
A former Tennessee governor's administration helped fund a contract murder of a key federal witness decades ago while embroiled in the state's largest political scandal, law enforcement officials announced Wednesday.
The new details revealed for the first time Wednesday have elements that ring of a movie: a trusted ally of union boss Jimmy Hoffa gunned down after testifying about a corrupt governor selling prison pardons and a gunman who donned a wig and blackface to throw authorities off the scent.
Investigators in Hamilton County, which encompasses Chattanooga, have been chipping away at the 42-year-old cold case of Samuel Pettyjohn since they renewed their investigation in 2015. No new charges will be filed because all of the major players involved are now dead, but authorities say closing the case provides closure to one aspect of a complicated piece of Tennessee history.
Pettyjohn, a Chattanooga businessman and close friend of Hoffa, was fatally shot in 1979 in downtown Chattanooga after testifying before a federal grand jury during the early phases of Tennessee's notorious “cash-for-clemency” scandal.
“Essentially, Mr. Pettyjohn cooperated with authorities and knew too much about what was going on locally, as well as the state level, and individuals didn’t like that and so individuals hired someone to murder him,” Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston said. “Here we are some 42 years later.”
The scandal ultimately led to the ousting of Democratic Gov. Ray Blanton, who was never indicted in the investigation — but three of his aides were. However, questions have lingered about the extent to which the governor's administration actively worked to thwart the investigation. Officials say at least five witnesses in the case were murdered or killed themselves...
...The grand jury concluded that if Alley were alive today, he would be charged with first-degree premeditated murder of Pettyjohn....
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Ray Blanton was in it up to his crooked neck.
HE is the first thing I thought of when I read the article.
Me too......I just had to be sure......;)
Just a Ray of Blanton sunshine!
All Democrats are murderers.
Blanton was defended by Labor Lawer Supreme, John McClellan. McClellan never attended law school
All were rotten to the core.
In a surprise to the world, Lamar Alexander the newly elected governor was sworn and occupied the governor’s offices nearly a month before the normally scheduled formal January inauguration.
Blanton was deprived of his last days in office to accomplish his nefarious pardons and other such acts
“Yes. Pusser was a Republican and was assassinated before he was able to run for higher office...”
Pusser was not assassinated, he died in a car wreck.
Pusser was not assassinated, he died in a car wreck.
Have you got proof of that? With all that happened to him and his family caused by a vicious band of criminals who tried to kill him before and killed his wife, what makes you so sure it wasn’t an assassination that was finally successful???
Bill Leech, the Tenn AG that removed Blanton and the LE officer at the removal, Steve Browder, were both good friends.
I do believe you could write a book......;)
I do believe you could write a book......;)
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