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.
Authorities in Tennessee cracked the 42-year-old cold case involving the murder of an associate of union boss Jimmy Hoffa, linking his death to the state’s former governor who at the time was involved in a massive political scandal.
Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston revealed the facts of the case during a press conference on Wednesday, concluding that former Tennessee Gov. Ray Blanton (D) paid a known bank robber to kill Samuel Pettyjohn, who was a close ally of Hoffa, after he agreed to cooperate with FBI agents investigating the state s “cash-for-clemency” scandal.
Federal investigators in the 1970s started looking into whether Blanton s office was engaged in a scheme where inmates could exchange cash for parole, according to The Associated Press. Authorities renewed the investigation in 2015.
Cold Case Unit Says Ed Alley Committed Chattanooga Murder 42 Years Ago With Ties To Tennessee Governor s Office chattanoogan.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chattanoogan.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Law enforcement officials have announced that 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