A Tennessee man with a previous murder conviction faces prison time after a federal grand jury indicted him on another criminal charge.
The grand jury indicted James Lafayette Moore, 51, for allegedly possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
According to the DOJ, Moore allegedly shot an unarmed man four times at a hotel in Nashville.
The DOJ said video surveillance captured the shooting, but also bystanders helped law enforcement find Moore, who had fled the scene.
Law enforcement apprehended Moore at a nearby gas station, the DOJ noted, adding that a K9 unit located the pistol the ex-criminal allegedly used in the shooting in a shrub adjacent to the gas station.
In 1993, Moore went to jail after being convicted of first-degree murder. He originally received a life sentence, but was paroled and released in 2024.
If convicted, Moore faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the DOJ stated.
According to the Sycamore Institute, nearly 50 percent of Tennessee’s felony offenders return to prison within three years after being released. This statistic is based on recidivism rates between 2002 and 2017.
The Sycamore Institute also found that nearly 40 percent of the state’s prisoner population consisted of people who had “violated probation, parole, or other community supervision.”
U.S. Attorney Braden Boucek said the DOJ’s top priority is “protecting our community from violent offenders who, despite records of serious violence, are back on the street committing more violence.”
“If you have a prior conviction for a violent felony and you use a gun to commit another violent crime then we will bring the full might of federal law enforcement to bear in holding you accountable,” he stated.
In October 2025, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved Boucek becoming the next U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
