8. No Turning Back

8. No Turning Back

Connie Branam's car is found along Clear Fork above Wears Valley, and the cops conduct a search of James Dellinger's home. Then, Gary and James are arrested and charged with Connie's death. Episode Links 🎧 Listen to Beth on Truth and Justice with Bob Ruff [https://www.truthandjusticepod.com/copy-of-about-2] * 🟢 Spotify Link [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1DTpiEoZ36BtdI9oFVmZsR?si=SvFxK452QtC7Ln7Zx77W2A] * 🍎 Apple Link [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truth-justice-with-bob-ruff/id990753230?i=1000770415482] 🏢 Beth tries to take a VCR to the Sevier County Courthouse [https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1LBNUEEQ3B/] ☕Buy Beth a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/gg1prc3lsl] 💉 Tennessee's Lethal Injection Protocol Manual [https://tcog.info/wp-content/uploads/Protocol-01082025_Redacted.pdf] ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website [https://timeofdeathpod.com/a-timeline-of-events/] Stay connected with Beth's reporting and follow along as the stories unfold. Follow us on your favorite platform. Beth Braden: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/bethbraden.journalist] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bethbraden.journalist?igsh=MXVwNnE1dm52OHA4NA==] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@bethbraden.journalist?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bethjbraden?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgma1weuU] Time of Death Podcast: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/timeofdeathpodcast] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timeofdeath.podcast?igsh=dG1lZjgyMDY2cnpu] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@timeofdeath.podcast?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@timeofdeathpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgjC7a6j0] Find us at www.timeofdeathpod.com [http://www.timeofdeathpod.com]

7. The Space Between

Blount County Chief Detective Dale Gourley speaks to the media about Tommy Griffin's death and Connie Branam's disappearance as searchers comb Sevier County for the missing woman. Gary Sutton, reeling from the death of his best friend, talks to police twice, not realizing that the walls are closing in around him. Also in this episode - updates from last week's failed execution of Tony Carruthers and the silence from the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in Gary's intellectual disability hearing. ☕Buy Beth a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/gg1prc3lsl] ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website [https://timeofdeathpod.com/a-timeline-of-events/] 🌍 Google Map of Places of Note - Including the changes to Alcoa Highway [https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1-pmeSbTbO61EOjS5KDe2aF539oLO37E&usp=sharing] Relevant Articles * WBIR: Gary Sutton supporters hold press conference [https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=4299703583674939] * WVLT: Death row inmate supporters rally at Blount County Courthouse after failed execution of Tony Carruthers [https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/05/27/death-row-inmate-supporters-rally-blount-county-courthouse-after-failed-execution-tony-carruthers/?outputType=amp] * WATE: Supporters of Gary Sutton speak after Tony Carruthers's botched execution [https://www.wate.com/news/blount-county-news/supporters-of-gary-sutton-speak-after-tony-carrutherss-botched-execution/] * Action News 5: ACLU calls on Bill Lee to halt executions pending resolution of lawsuit [https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/05/26/live-attorneys-call-gov-lee-pause-all-executions/] Stay connected with Beth's reporting and follow along as the stories unfold. Follow us on your favorite platform. Beth Braden: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/bethbraden.journalist] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bethbraden.journalist?igsh=MXVwNnE1dm52OHA4NA==] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@bethbraden.journalist?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bethjbraden?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgma1weuU] Time of Death Podcast: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/timeofdeathpodcast] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timeofdeath.podcast?igsh=dG1lZjgyMDY2cnpu] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@timeofdeath.podcast?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@timeofdeathpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgjC7a6j0] Find us at www.timeofdeathpod.com [http://www.timeofdeathpod.com]

6. The Discovery

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay in Gary Sutton's intellectual disability hearing, and Governor Bill Lee has granted Tony Caruthers a temporary reprieve from execution following a failed execution attempt on 5/21/26. Then, we go back in time to some very interesting details about what Tommy Griffin didn't have with him when he was found in Walland on February 24, 1992. * ACLU Files Lawsuit [https://www.aclu.org/cases/tony-von-carruthers-v-state-of-tennessee] * Bill Lee Tuesday Statement [https://wreg.com/news/local/governor-lee-says-he-will-not-stop-carruthers-execution/] * Riverbend Maximum Security Institution [https://www.tn.gov/correction/state-prisons/state-prison-list/riverbend-maximum-security-institution.html] * Bill Lee / Tennessee Department of Corrections Thursday Statement [https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2026/5/21/gov--lee-grants-temporary-reprieve-for-tony-von-carruthers.html] * Witnesses Speak after Failed Execution [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h3811P0k1U] * Tennessean report on the failed execution [https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2026/05/21/tony-carruthers-execution-stay/90101223007/] * Commercial Appeal report on the failed execution [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/05/21/tony-carruthers-execution-tennessee-on-hold/90196934007/] Buy Beth a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/gg1prc3lsl] Stay connected with Beth's reporting and follow along as the stories unfold. Follow us on your favorite platform. Beth Braden: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/bethbraden.journalist] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bethbraden.journalist?igsh=MXVwNnE1dm52OHA4NA==] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@bethbraden.journalist?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bethjbraden?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgma1weuU] Time of Death Podcast: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/timeofdeathpodcast] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timeofdeath.podcast?igsh=dG1lZjgyMDY2cnpu] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@timeofdeath.podcast?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@timeofdeathpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgjC7a6j0] Find us at www.timeofdeathpod.com [http://www.timeofdeathpod.com]

5. Another Saturday Night

Connie Branam sat up nearly all night after her brother's trailer burned to the ground on February 21, 1992. On February 22, she began looking for him, and she ended up back at Howie's Hideaway in Maryville with Gary Sutton and James Dellinger. Episode Links ☕Buy Beth a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/gg1prc3lsl] 📰 WBIR - James Dellinger Dies in Prison [https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/tdoc-inmate-on-death-row-since-1996-for-first-degree-murder-in-blount-co-dies-in-prison-on-january-16-2023/51-2d3662fc-6c2f-4080-8f6e-a08feb03fd95] 🧑‍⚖️ Tennessee Supreme Court Order for Gary Sutton's Execution [https://tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/docs/Order%20resetting%20execution%20%283%29-%20Gary%20Wayne%20Sutton.pdf] 💉 Tennessee's Lethal Injection Protocol Manual [https://tcog.info/wp-content/uploads/Protocol-01082025_Redacted.pdf] ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website [https://timeofdeathpod.com/a-timeline-of-events/] Stay connected with Beth's reporting and follow along as the stories unfold. Follow us on your favorite platform. Beth Braden: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/bethbraden.journalist] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bethbraden.journalist?igsh=MXVwNnE1dm52OHA4NA==] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@bethbraden.journalist?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bethjbraden?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgma1weuU] Time of Death Podcast: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/timeofdeathpodcast] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timeofdeath.podcast?igsh=dG1lZjgyMDY2cnpu] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@timeofdeath.podcast?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@timeofdeathpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgjC7a6j0] Find us at www.timeofdeathpod.com [http://www.timeofdeathpod.com]

4. Diverging Timelines

Alcoa, Tennessee, police officers find Tommy Griffin shirtless and beaten on the night of February 21, 1992, and arrest him for public intoxication. The state's theory of the case diverges as it maintains that it was Gary and James who beat Tommy that night while Gary and James say they were already back home in the holler. Episode Links * 🎧 True Crimecast Episode on Gary Sutton [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/time-of-death-gary-sutton/id1307664642?i=1000766396612] * 📰 WSMV Article about Tony Caruthers [https://www.wsmv.com/2026/05/05/attorneys-tony-carruthers-man-death-row-murders-3-people-will-ask-tn-governor-clemency-citing-egregious-injustices-his-case/] * 🖋️ Petition for Tennessee's Governor Bill Lee to review Gary Sutton's case [https://www.justiceforgarywaynesutton.com/petition] * ⏳ Timeline of Events at the Time of Death Podcast Website [https://timeofdeathpod.com/a-timeline-of-events/] * 🌍 Google Map of Places of Note - Including the changes to Alcoa Highway [https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1-pmeSbTbO61EOjS5KDe2aF539oLO37E&usp=sharing] * 🎥 Beth, Carolyn, and Amy go to Bluff Heights Road [https://youtu.be/ObkAW9cokCU] * ☕Buy Beth a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/gg1prc3lsl] Stay connected with Beth's reporting and follow along as the stories unfold. Follow us on your favorite platform. * Beth Braden: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/bethbraden.journalist] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bethbraden.journalist?igsh=MXVwNnE1dm52OHA4NA==] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@bethbraden.journalist?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bethjbraden?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgma1weuU] * Time of Death Podcast: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/timeofdeathpodcast] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/timeofdeath.podcast?igsh=dG1lZjgyMDY2cnpu] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@timeofdeath.podcast?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@timeofdeathpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-95vgjC7a6j0] * Find us at www.timeofdeathpod.com [http://www.timeofdeathpod.com]