United States of America v. James Lafayette Moore

Nashville, Tennessee, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

On August 24, 2025, James Lafayette Moore, age 51, of Nashville, Tennessee, shot an unarmed man four times in the face, neck, and upper body at point blank range on the balcony of My Town Extended Stay on Antioch Pike in Nashville. The shooting was captured on video surveillance cameras. Following the shooting, innocent bystanders assisted law enforcement by pointing out Moore’s direction of flight. He was found and apprehended nearby at a Twice Daily gas station on Harding Place. A K9 unit assisted officers in locating the pistol Moore had used in the shooting nearby in a shrub adjacent to the Twice Daily.

On June 2, 1993, Moore was convicted of first-degree murder in the Circuit Court of Rutherford County, Tennessee, and was sentenced to life in prison. On March 14, 2024, he was granted parole and released.

If convicted, Moore faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Carlin C. Hess is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.