Tennessee
Tennessee woman attempted to hire hitman to kill wife of man she met on dating website
Melody Sasser, 48, attempted to hire an online hitman to kill the wife of a man she met on the dating website Match.com. (Knox County Jail)
A Tennessee woman attempted to hire an online hitman for close to $10,000 to kill the wife of a man she met on the dating website Match.com, according to prosecutors.
Melody Sasser, 48, used a dark website known as “Online Killers Market” to hire a hitman for a “job” last year, according to court documents.
That website allegedly offers hitman-for-hire services, hacking, kidnapping, extortion, disfigurement by acid attack and sexual assault, WVLT reported.
Sasser, using the username “cattree,” messaged the website administrator about hiring a hitman. She paid $9,750 in Bitcoin to do the “job” and emphasized that it needed to appear like an accident to avoid suspicion of criminal activity.
TENNESSEE MURDER SUSPECT ON THE RUN FOR MONTHS FOUND AFTER FALLING THROUGH CEILING DURING HOME SEARCH
“It needs to seem random or accident, or plant drugs, do not want a long investigation. She recently moved in with her new husband,” Sasser wrote to the administrator.
The woman she wanted dead, identified only as JW, lives in Prattville, Alabama, with her husband, identified as DW, who met Sasser on Match.com prior to his marriage.
DW said Sasser helped him with a hike along the Appalachian Trail before he moved to Alabama and married his now-wife.
Sasser had left threatening voicemails on JW’s phone using technology to disguise her voice, court documents allege.
Court documents say Sasser talked with the “Online Killers Market” administrator over the course of two months over frustrations about the “job” not being completed.
“I have waited for 2 months and 11 days and the job is not completed,” she wrote to the administrator. “2 weeks ago you said it was been worked on and would be done in a week. the job is still not done. does it need to be assigned to someone else? will it be done? what is the delay? when will it be done, [SIC].”
During her communications with the website, Sasser provided photographs and location information of JW, according to court documents.
Sasser was allegedly able to track the couple’s whereabouts by using an app called Strava, which connects to Garmin watches to share fitness data.
At one point, she notified the “Online Killers Market” administrator when JW had left her home for a two-mile walk.
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But the plot ended up unsuccessful, and it led to Sasser’s arrest and her home being searched.
Law enforcement found during the search of her home a journal listing several other hitman websites, a handwritten account of communications with the “Online Killers Market” and a stack of cash underneath a sticky note with a Bitcoin address.
A federal grand jury indicted Sasser in June of last year for the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.
Sasser entered a plea deal on Wednesday, and she was sentenced to 100 months in prison and must pay more than $5,300 in restitution to the victim.
Read more on FOX News.
Tennessee
TN Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for May 20, 2026
The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 20, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 20 drawing
10-28-30-46-57, Powerball: 25, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 20 drawing
05-14-26-39-46, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from May 20 drawing
Morning: 8-7-7, Wild: 6
Midday: 1-9-4, Wild: 0
Evening: 4-8-1, Wild: 0
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from May 20 drawing
Morning: 9-7-0-2, Wild: 5
Midday: 0-4-7-5, Wild: 1
Evening: 6-5-2-9, Wild: 2
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from May 20 drawing
16-26-27-35-38
Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Tennessee Cash numbers from May 20 drawing
07-17-24-26-31, Bonus: 01
Check Tennessee Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 20 drawing
12-27-37-40-66, Powerball: 17
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 20 drawing
14-23-27-44-50, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:
Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.
When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
- Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Tennessee
Attorneys for Tennessee inmate worry state could use expired drugs for lethal injection
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys for a Tennessee death row inmate say they are concerned the state may be planning to use expired lethal injection drugs at his execution on Thursday, a growing concern across the country as states work to keep most information about their drugs secret.
Tony Carruthers’ attorneys twice asked the Tennessee Department of Correction last month whether it had secured the appropriate drugs for his execution date and for assurance the drugs had not expired.
Assistant Attorney General John W. Ayers’ response did not directly answer but said the department will comply with its lethal injection protocol — which includes regular inventory of the drugs to monitor expiration dates.
Carruthers, 57, was sentenced to death after being found guilty of the 1994 kidnappings and murders of Marcellos Anderson, his mother Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker.
The Tennessee Department of Correction declined to answer on Wednesday when asked by The Associated Press whether the drugs they plan to use to kill Carruthers are expired. Gov. Bill Lee’s office did not immediately respond to a similar inquiry.
Federal Public Defender Amy Harwell said in an email that expiration dates reflect when a drug can no longer be safely relied upon to obtain the desired result.
“In the execution context, this may mean a slow, lingering death without a reliable loss of consciousness, as the body painfully and fitfully shuts down,” Harwell wrote.
Public opposition to executions has made it difficult for prisons to obtain execution drugs, among the lingering issues for those who use lethal injection. Some states have been forced to speed up executions or stop them entirely due to expiration dates on drugs.
In South Carolina, executions were on hold for 12 years while the state struggled to obtain drugs. They were eventually able to get them only after the state passed a shield law that would keep the identity of the supplier secret.
Tennessee has argued in court that its shield extends to revealing expiration dates. Just before the December execution of Harold Nichols, Tennessee Deputy Attorney General Cody Brandon offered instead to provide a declaration “attesting that the chemicals to be used in Mr. Nichols’ execution will not expire before his execution and have not expired,” according to a transcript of the proceedings.
“The fact that TDOC was willing to provide such assurances to Mr. Nichols, but not Mr. Carruthers, raises serious concerns that TDOC is, in fact, intending to use expired drugs,” Harwell wrote in a May 18 follow-up to Ayers’ letter.
Arkansas, Idaho have faced challenges
In 2017, Arkansas’ then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson issued death warrants for eight prisoners on the state’s death row in an effort to beat the clock on a batch of lethal injection drugs that were set to expire. The state executed four of the men, but four others were granted stays.
Arkansas has not had any executions since then, in part because of the difficulty in obtaining drugs.
A group of Texas inmates in 2023 unsuccessfully tried to stop the state from using drugs they alleged were expired and unsafe. Prison officials denied their claims and said the state’s drug supply was safe.
Attorneys for Idaho’s death row inmates raised similar concerns in 2024, when the state planned to take a second try at executing Thomas Creech after the first attempt was botched.
The Federal Defender Services of Idaho told a federal judge that prison officials apparently failed to even check the expiration date of the execution drugs before obtaining a death warrant for Creech in October 2024. Nine days later, the drugs were returned to the supplier because they were expired, according to court documents. A new Idaho law has changed the state’s primary execution to firing squad in part because of the difficulty of getting lethal injection drugs.
Tennessee has had problems with execution drugs
Tennessee has a history of problems with its execution drugs. In 2022, Oscar Smith came within minutes of being executed before Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a surprise reprieve that revealed the state’s lethal injection drugs were not being properly tested for purity and potency. Executions were on hold for two years to allow for an independent investigation into the problems.
The state attorney general’s office was also forced to concede in court that two of the people most responsible for overseeing Tennessee’s lethal injection drugs at the time “ incorrectly testified ” under oath that officials were testing the chemicals as required.
Tennessee released a new lethal injection process in December 2024, and restarted executions in 2025. Several death row inmates have sued over the new protocols, arguing that the Correction Department did not follow the recommendations from the investigation.
Meanwhile, the new process has not been completely smooth. When Byron Black was executed by lethal injection in August, he said he was “ hurting so bad.” Prison officials have offered no explanation for what might have caused the pain.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
101st Airborne veterans get Purple Hearts years after an insider attack
As we honor those who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice, it is also heartening to see the military right a wrong. Chris Davis brings us the moving story of a Purple Heart ceremony two decades in the making. It’s worth a watch.
A heartfelt thanks to all who bravely serve.
– Carrie Sharp
Tennessee
Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta fires back at graduates booing ‘AI speech’ during Middle Tennessee State University ceremony
Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta fired back at college graduates who booed him for discussing the ongoing artificial intelligence revolution during his commencement speech.
Borchetta, the 63-year-old music mogul who is credited for discovering Taylor Swift, shrugged off the graduates’ disapproval, saying they would regret not listening to him at Middle Tennessee State University’s ceremony on May 10.
“We are the agents of change and the agents of next, and this industry will change on you in a heartbeat. It has already changed more in the last 10 years than in the 50 years prior,” Borchetta told the crowd inside the Murphy Athletic Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. “Streaming rewrote the economics. Social media rewrote the discovery model.
“AI is rewriting production as we sit here,” Borchetta said as he was met with a chorus of boos inside the university’s 10,000-seat arena.
“Hey, like I said, you can hear me now or pay me later,” he said. “Then do something about it. It’s a tool, make it work for you.”
The crowd consisted of graduating students from MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, named after the Nashville record label founder, along with the College of Education and the College of Business.
“Here’s a warning: invest in the skill and art of creation and not the platform or the system. Platforms and systems come and go. What is still the most valuable commodity is great content, great storytelling,” he said.
“AI is not going to change that. No matter the platform, content is king. Give it great ideas,” he added. As you step into your next season, know that people who thrive are the people who invested in and trusted their judgment and vision in their own taste, their own instinct. Your judgment cannot be disrupted.”
Borchetta diverted his speech from AI to his own career, recalling his successes in the music industry and invoking his beliefs in unknown artists.
The music exec had discovered Swift, who at the time was a rising teen sensation, and oversaw the release of her first six studio albums.
Swift called Borchetta a fraud after he sold Big Machine Records to Scooter Braun’s control for $330 million, with it the “masters” to the singer’s first albums.
The 36-year-old superstar wasn’t mentioned during introductions for Borchetta, whose label represented multiple country stars, including Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Florida Georgia Line.
“Careers are built on someone at some critical moment, looking at something unproven and says, yes, I believe in you,” Borchetta told the graduates.
“It’s the artist that no one has heard of yet. It’s the producer and songwriter fighting for a chance,” he said. “That is the job, that is my job, still. I always say we really work hard to make it look really easy.”
Borchetta invoked country star Riley Green as his latest success, stating the “Worst Way” singer was an eight-year project through the label, which is currently under the Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment umbrella.
“Many of you graduate today with my name on your degree and that is truly my honor. Be the next generation. We’re counting on you.” Borchetta said to a resounding applause.
University of Central Florida graduates booed Florida real estate executive Gloria Caulfield when she proclaimed that “artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution” during her commencement speech on May 8.
“The rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution,” Caulfield said as a loud chorus of boos rained down on her.
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