TN gov grants commutation to Thomas Clardy, despite exoneration pleas

A life sentence in prison has been commuted to parole for Thomas Clardy, who was convicted of murder in 2007, briefly freed by a judge and then ordered back to prison in 2025.

Clardy, of Nashville, will be eligible for release from prison on Sept. 15, a statement from Clardy’s legal team says.

Gov. Bill Lee also granted pardons to 33 additional people who had already completed their sentences, he announced Aug. 27 in a call with reporters. Pardons are an official act of forgiveness by the state.

A wide range of people advocated for Clardy’s release, from his high school football coach to an executive at GEODIS Americas.

Lee’s decision, under which Clardy remains convicted of the murder charge that put him behind bars, falls short of the Tennessee Board of Parole’s recommendation. The board voted in February to recommend that Lee exonerate Clardy. An exoneration would clear Clardy’s name and erase the conviction.

In explaining his decision, Lee said, “every case is unique and individual.” He approached Clardy’s application for clemency how he does each case, by reviewing the details of the case and the board’s recommendation and doing what he believes is appropriate, he said.

In 2005, Kirk Clouatre was gunned down at a Madison auto body shop. The conviction hinged largely on the testimony of Clouatre’s twin brother, Kent Clouatre, who identified Clardy out of a six-man lineup weeks after the shooting.

After 17 years in prison, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger vacated Clardy’s conviction because of the “exceedingly weak and paltry” evidence against him and the inadequate representation of his attorney at trial. He was released from prison in 2023.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office appealed Trauger’s decision, and a federal appeals court ruled against Clardy in January 2025. He walked back into prison in August 2025.

During the February Board of Parole hearing, Clardy appeared by video call from prison with a large group of supporters around him. A representative of the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office indicated during the hearing that the office had found evidence tying other suspects to the crime. Board of Parole member Tim Gobble said during the hearing, “it appears we have an innocent man in prison in the state of Tennessee, and the issue should be resolved.”

Clardy is represented by the Tennessee Innocence Project and attorneys from Nashville law firm Bass, Berry & Sims. He and his attorneys have long insisted he is innocent.

Read the full article at the Nashville Tennessean.