KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The man convicted of murdering a teen and brutally attacking another in Morristown won’t be eligible for parole for another four years after a decision by state officials.
The Tennessee Board of Parole finalized its decision on Thursday to deny Randy Lee May parole due to the seriousness of his crimes following his Aug. 24 hearing.
A parole review for May will be scheduled in September 2027.
May was found guilty of the gruesome murder of 16-year-old Mary Jones and a violent attack on 15-year-old Mitzi Sizemore. He posed as a law enforcement officer to lure the teens into his car before taking them to a remote part of Hamblen County.
Sizemore was able to escape and ran to a nearby home. She was able to identify May as the attacker and he later confessed to the crime.
Former Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin called the scene of the crime “the most terrible” he had ever worked back when he was a young detective.
The families of the victims and local law enforcement have strongly opposed the possibility of parole over the years. A petition urging a denial of May’s parole garnered over 3,000 signatures on change.org.
