State of Tennessee, Appellee v. Carl Lee McLeod, Appellant; State of Tennessee, Appellee, v. James Young, Appellant

Summary

The Tennessee Supreme Court clarified that admissibility of child statements under Tenn. R. Evid. 803(4) requires a pre‑trial evidentiary hearing outside the jury’s presence and an affirmative finding that the rule’s conditions are met. It affirmed Carl Lee McLeod’s conviction, holding the child’s statements were properly admitted, and affirmed James Young’s conviction, holding the admission of the child’s statements was erroneous but harmless.