Defense Team for Convicted Murderer Miranda Cheatham Requests New Trial
BRADLEY COUNTY (WDEF) – The defense team for Miranda Cheatham believes justice wasn’t served and wants a new trial following her 2019 sentence for murdering her husband James “Tooter” Cheatham in 2016.
The victim’s brother John Loach secretly recorded the victim’s sister Dana Cheatham Pritchard admitting she had an affair with the District Attorney whose office prosecuted Miranda Cheatham.
The recording was given to the D.A.’s office but they decided it was “immaterial” to the homicide.
“I had no reason to believe that anything that had happened thus far had affected the homicide in October of 2016,” Lead Counsel of the case and former Bradley County Assistant District Attorney Coty Wamp says.
Dana Cheatham-Pritchard testified at the hearing she was under the influence of alcohol, Prozac, Xanax and Adderall during the recording so she wasn’t aware of what she was saying.
She also testified John Loach had a gun visible to her in the car so she was scared.
She said noone reached out to her from the prosecution after the recording was turned in.
Defense attorney Bill Speeks questioned Cheatham-Pritchard on the witness stand.
“Prior to the trial, nobody from the police department interviewed you regarding this recording?” Speeks asks.
“No, sir.” Cheatham-Pritchard says.
“Nobody from the district attorney’s office interviewed you regarding this interview?”
“No, sir.”
In the recording, Cheatham-Pritchard threatens to speak to the family and community about her affair with the D.A.
Loach explains why he recorded her.
“Why did you go over to Miss Cheatham’s house and record her?” Judge Don Ash asks Loach.
“Just to find out information,” Loach says.
“And what information were you looking for?”
“To find out what was going on, what the hold up was on the trial.”
Miranda Cheatham’s defense team says the recording casts serious doubts on the validity and honesty of the prosecution and a new trial should take place.
Judge Don Ash is overseeing this hearing request for a new trial. He said he will review the original transcripts and make a decision in 90 days.
