A life sentence in prison has been commuted to parole for Thomas Clardy, who was convicted of murder in 2007, briefly freed by a judge and then ordered back to prison in 2025.
Clardy, of Nashville, will be released from Tennessee prison in a few weeks, Gov. Bill Lee said.
Lee also granted pardons to 33 additional people who had already completed their sentences, he announced Aug. 27 in a call with reporters. Pardons are an official act of forgiveness by the state.
During the two years Clardy was out of prison, he was heavily involved in his church, successful in his work with a moving company and had a large community of people supporting him.
A wide range of people advocated for Clardy’s release, from his high school football coach to an executive
at GEODIS Americas.
Lee’s decision, under which Clardy remains convicted of the murder charge that put him behind bars, falls short of the Tennessee Board of Parole’s recommendation. The board voted in February to recommend that Lee exonerate Clardy. An exoneration would clear Clardy’s name and erase the conviction.
In explaining his decision, Lee said, “every case is unique and individual.” He approached Clardy’s application for clemency how he does each case, by reviewing the details of the case and the board’s recommendation and doing what he believes is appropriate, he said.
In 2005, Kirk Clouatre was gunned down at a Madison auto body shop. The conviction hinged largely on the testimony of Clouatre’s twin brother, Kent Clouatre, who identified Clardy out of a six-man lineup weeks after the shooting.
After 17 years in prison, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger vacated Clardy’s conviction because of the “exceedingly weak and paltry” evidence against him and the inadequate representation of his attorney at trial. He was released from prison in 2023.
The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office appealed Trauger’s decision, and a federal appeals court ruled against Clardy in January 2025. He walked back into prison in August 2025.
During the February Board of Parole hearing, Clardy appeared by video call from prison with a large group of supporters around him. A representative of the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office indicated during the hearing that the office had found evidence tying other suspects to the crime. Board of Parole member Tim Gobble said during the hearing, “it appears we have an innocent man in prison in the state of Tennessee, and the issue should be resolved.”
Clardy is represented by the Tennessee Innocence Project and attorneys from Nashville law firm Bass Berry & Sims. He and his attorneys have long insisted he is innocent.
Lee pardoned the following people:
- Alexis Loudenslager
- Ashley Langford
- Charles McNabb
- Charles Murphy
- Christina Walters
- Christopher Pritchett
- Dedrick Dillard
- Donnie Sexton
- Elbert “Manuel” Hudson, Jr.
- Hannah Heinze
- Israel Melton
- Ivan Minter
- Jamila Redditt
- Jeremy Mack
- Jill Dotson
- Justin Smith
- Kenneth Davis, Jr.
- Kenretha Goldsmith
- Kristopher (Kris) Stewart
- Larry Boyd
- LaTonya Sawyer
- Margie Scales
- Mary Ann Eicke
- Michelle Arbogast
- Phillip Clark
- Ronald Haynes
- Sarah Biviano
- Scottye Starling
- Tamir Greenlee
- Todd Buchanan
- Toni Williams
- Zandra Daniel
- Charles Denbow
Lee's office did not provide the crimes or counties of conviction for the 33 people granted pardons in its news release. Elizabeth Johnson, Lee's communications director, told The Tennessean the Board of Parole had those details. The Board of Parole did not provide that information in time for publication.
Lee said none of the people granted pardons had been convicted of sex offenses or crimes by an adult against a minor. Very few of the people granted pardons had been convicted of crimes against persons, Lee said.
Lee said he will likely announce another round of executive clemency before he leaves office Jan. 16, 2027.
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN gov grants commutation to Thomas Clardy, despite exoneration pleas
