Judge steps away from case involving man D.A. says was wrongly convicted

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Judge Lee Coffee has recused himself in the case involving Andrew Hayes, a man who local prosecutors say may have served years for a murder he didn’t commit.

Judge Coffee filed the order of recusal motion on Friday, stepping away from the proceeding and, as he stated, causing “further delay in bringing closure to an issue that has been pending for over 25 years.”

He remands the matter to the Criminal Court Clerk for a reassignment to a different Division of Criminal Court and a new judge, according to court documents.

This comes after a court hearing was scheduled for Friday morning.

Last month, Judge Coffee reset that hearing after saying Hayes would remain in custody and be moved to a prison in Nashville.

Hayes was convicted in the 2007 murder of Danny Harris. He says he was falsely accused of the murder during a 27-hour interrogation. According to Hayes testimony, he falsely confessed to the crime because he just wanted to “get it over with.”

“Being interrogated like that for 27 hours, it was very rough. I just wanted to get it over with,” he said.

Earlier this year, District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced new evidence was found in January identifying a new suspect, Sarah Lucas.

Lucas was the daughter of Tammy Vance, who died in prison after being convicted in relation to Harris’ death.

A pre-death letter found in Georgia revealed Vance may have covered up for her daughter, letting Hayes be convicted instead.

Courtroom audio of a phone call between Lucas and Harris’ son also indicated Lucas may have confessed to the murder.

In May, Hayes’ mother Flora told WREG she believes her son is innocent.

“I know he didn’t have anything to do with it. Me and my mom we raised him. We didn’t raise him or none of my kids to be violent […] I didn’t think it was gonna be this long. I really didn’t. It’s been months since the D.A. said anything,” Flora Hayes said.

Now it is November, and with Judge Coffee’s recusal, it will be even longer until a decision about Hayes’ freedom is made.