SUSPECT INFORMATION

Chattanooga Police BOLO — Brittany Lanham

Document Type: BOLO / Wanted for Questioning Notice
Agency: Chattanooga Police Department — Violent Crimes / Homicide Unit
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Related Incident Date: May 27, 2020
Subject: Brittany Rose Lanham
Status: Wanted for Questioning Only
Officer Contact: Investigator Stokes

Summary

This one-page Chattanooga Police Department BOLO identifies Brittany Rose Lanham as a person investigators wanted to locate for questioning in connection with a violent crime that occurred on May 27, 2020.

The notice expressly states that Lanham was “Wanted for Questioning Only.” The fields for a warrant number, warrant issuance date, and warrant status are blank.

The BOLO states that Lanham “was present during a Violent Crime” on May 27, 2020 and that the information she possessed was considered “vital to the case.”

The document directs officers who located Lanham to notify Investigator Stokes.

What This Document Establishes

This record documents that:

• CPD considered Brittany Lanham a person with important information about the May 27, 2020 incident;

• police represented that she had been present during the violent crime;

• investigators were actively attempting to locate her for questioning;

• she was not identified in this BOLO as being wanted on a criminal warrant;

• and Investigator Stokes was the designated investigator to be contacted when she was located.

Why This Document Matters

The BOLO is significant because it documents CPD’s characterization of Lanham before her later testimony.

Rather than identifying her as a charged suspect or wanted fugitive, the document describes her as someone who was present during the incident and possessed information considered vital to the investigation.

This document should be compared with Lanham’s later police statements, supplemental investigative reports, arrest records, and trial testimony to determine whether her account of what she witnessed remained consistent over time.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → BOLO / Witness Location Notices → Brittany Lanham

Chattanooga Police BOLO — Vanessa Terry

Document Type: BOLO / Wanted for Questioning Notice
Agency: Chattanooga Police Department — Violent Crimes / Homicide Unit
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Related Incident Date: May 27, 2020
Subject: Vanessa Terry
Status: Wanted for Questioning Only
Officer Contact: Investigator Stokes

Summary

This one-page Chattanooga Police Department BOLO identifies Vanessa Terry as a person investigators wanted to locate for questioning in connection with a violent crime that occurred on May 27, 2020.

The notice expressly states that Terry was “Wanted for Questioning Only.” The warrant fields are blank, including the warrant number and warrant issuance date.

The document states that Terry “was present during a Violent Crime” on May 27, 2020 and that the information she possessed was considered “vital to the case.”

Officers locating Terry were directed to notify Investigator Stokes.

What This Document Establishes

The BOLO documents that:

• CPD considered Vanessa Terry to have been present during the May 27, 2020 violent crime;

• investigators considered her information important enough to issue a department-wide location notice;

• she was being sought for questioning rather than on a warrant, according to this document;

• and Investigator Stokes was the designated investigator to be contacted when she was found.

Why This Document Matters

This BOLO is significant because it identifies another person whom CPD contemporaneously characterized as being present during the May 27 incident.

It should be compared with the Brittany Lanham BOLO, witness interviews, investigative supplements, and trial testimony to determine which individuals CPD initially documented as being present and whether those accounts remained consistent as the investigation developed.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → BOLO / Witness Location Notices → Vanessa Terry

CLEAR Investigative Search — Greg Cowgill

Document Type: Thomson Reuters CLEAR investigative/background search
Subject: Greg Cowgill
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: At least 2 pages
Source System: Thomson Reuters CLEAR

Summary

This document is a Thomson Reuters CLEAR investigative search record associated with Greg Cowgill and contained within the Randall Leslie investigative file.

The visible page compiles historical identifying and locator information drawn from multiple commercial and public-record data sources. The information includes prior addresses in several Tennessee counties, telephone information, vehicle and driver-license related records, household listings, and a reference to an arrest-related source.

Locations appearing in the visible record include addresses associated with Crossville, Jamestown, Dayton, and Spring City, Tennessee, with records connected to Cumberland, Fentress, and Rhea Counties.

The page identifies TransUnion as a recurring source and also references categories including:

• household listings;

• vehicle records;

• driver's-license information;

• telephone records;

• and arrest-related information.

What This Document Establishes

This document establishes that investigators possessed or generated a CLEAR background/locator search concerning Greg Cowgill as part of the investigative materials preserved in the Randall Leslie case file.

It documents the types of historical records investigators were reviewing to locate or identify Cowgill and to examine his address, telephone, vehicle, and related record history.

Important Limitation

The visible page does not explain why Greg Cowgill was being researched, what role investigators believed he had in the Randall Leslie investigation, or whether any of the listed records were ultimately relevant to the homicide.

Those questions must be answered from other investigative reports, interview records, warrants, or supplements that mention Cowgill.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Background / Locator Searches → Thomson Reuters CLEAR → Greg Cowgill

Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Paperwork — Derik Brown / Three Cell Phones

Document Type: Property Receipt / Chain-of-Custody Record
Agency: Coffee County Sheriff’s Office
Coffee County Case Number: 202W26754
Property Owner Listed: Derik Brown
Date: June 10, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 3 pages

Summary

This three-page Coffee County Sheriff’s Office packet contains property and chain-of-custody documentation concerning cell phones associated with Derik Brown.

The visible Personal Property Receipt is dated June 10, 2020 and identifies Derik Brown as the owner of the property.

One of the listed devices is described as an E-Talk Verizon flip phone.

Most importantly, the receipt contains the notation:

“THREE PHONES LISTED ABOVE RELEASED TO CHATTANOOGA POLICE DEPT.”

The paperwork identifies Investigator Kerry Farrar and is associated with Coffee County case 202W26754.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• Coffee County possessed property identified as belonging to Derik Brown;

• the property included three cell phones;

• Coffee County documented their release to the Chattanooga Police Department;

• the receipt is dated June 10, 2020;

• and the transfer was documented through Coffee County property/chain-of-custody paperwork.

Why This Document Matters

This is an important primary-source chain-of-custody record for Brown’s three phones.

The phones are significant because Brown had been arrested in Coffee County during the early stages of the Randall Leslie investigation, and the devices subsequently became part of the Chattanooga Police Department investigation.

The June 10, 2020 transfer date shown on this receipt should be compared carefully with other CPD reports describing when Chattanooga investigators obtained or took custody of Brown’s phones.

Any different dates appearing in the CPD reports should be presented as a documented timeline discrepancy until the complete custody record establishes how the dates relate to one another.

Catalog Category

Digital Evidence / Cell Phones → Chain of Custody → Coffee County Sheriff’s Office → Derik Brown’s Three Phones

Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Paperwork — Derik Brown / Three Cell Phones

Document Type: Property Receipt / Chain-of-Custody Record
Agency: Coffee County Sheriff’s Office
Coffee County Case Number: 202W26754
Property Owner Listed: Derik Brown
Date: June 10, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 3 pages

Summary

This three-page Coffee County Sheriff’s Office packet contains property and chain-of-custody documentation concerning three cell phones associated with Derik Brown.

The visible Personal Property Receipt is dated June 10, 2020 and identifies Derik Brown as the owner of the property.

One of the devices is specifically described as an E-Talk Verizon flip phone.

Most importantly, the Coffee County paperwork contains the notation:

“THREE PHONES LISTED ABOVE RELEASED TO CHATTANOOGA POLICE DEPT.”

The paperwork identifies Investigator Kerry Farrar and is associated with Coffee County Sheriff’s Office case 202W26754.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• Coffee County possessed property identified as belonging to Derik Brown;

• the property included three cell phones;

• Coffee County documented the release of those three phones to the Chattanooga Police Department;

• the property receipt is dated June 10, 2020;

• Investigator Kerry Farrar is identified on the paperwork;

• and the transfer was documented through Coffee County property and chain-of-custody records.

Why This Document Matters

This is an important primary-source chain-of-custody record for Derik Brown’s three cell phones.

The document provides a specific Coffee County record showing that the three phones were released to the Chattanooga Police Department and associates that release with paperwork dated June 10, 2020.

This date should be compared carefully with Chattanooga Police Department reports and supplements describing when Brown’s phones were received, transferred, or taken into CPD custody.

If other official records provide different custody or transfer dates, those differences should be preserved and presented as a documented timeline or chain-of-custody discrepancy until the complete records establish whether the dates describe separate stages of the transfer.

Catalog Category

Digital Evidence / Cell Phones → Chain of Custody → Coffee County Sheriff’s Office → Derik Brown’s Three Phones

Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Paperwork — Derik Brown / Three Cell Phones

Document Type: Property Receipt / Chain-of-Custody Record
Agency: Coffee County Sheriff’s Office
Coffee County Case Number: 202W26754
Property Owner Listed: Derik Brown
Date: June 10, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 3 pages

Summary

This three-page Coffee County Sheriff’s Office packet contains property and chain-of-custody documentation concerning three cell phones associated with Derik Brown.

The visible Personal Property Receipt is dated June 10, 2020 and identifies Derik Brown as the owner of the property.

One of the devices is specifically described as an E-Talk Verizon flip phone.

Most importantly, the Coffee County paperwork contains the notation:

“THREE PHONES LISTED ABOVE RELEASED TO CHATTANOOGA POLICE DEPT.”

The paperwork identifies Investigator Kerry Farrar and is associated with Coffee County Sheriff’s Office case 202W26754.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• Coffee County possessed property identified as belonging to Derik Brown;

• the property included three cell phones;

• Coffee County documented the release of those three phones to the Chattanooga Police Department;

• the property receipt is dated June 10, 2020;

• Investigator Kerry Farrar is identified on the paperwork;

• and the transfer was documented through Coffee County property and chain-of-custody records.

Why This Document Matters

This is an important primary-source chain-of-custody record for Derik Brown’s three cell phones.

The document provides a specific Coffee County record showing that the three phones were released to the Chattanooga Police Department and associates that release with paperwork dated June 10, 2020.

This date should be compared carefully with Chattanooga Police Department reports and supplements describing when Brown’s phones were received, transferred, or taken into CPD custody.

If other official records provide different custody or transfer dates, those differences should be preserved and presented as a documented timeline or chain-of-custody discrepancy until the complete records establish whether the dates describe separate stages of the transfer.

Catalog Category

Digital Evidence / Cell Phones → Chain of Custody → Coffee County Sheriff’s Office → Derik Brown’s Three Phones

Tennessee Driver License Record — Brandon Jay Cook

Document Type: Driver License / Criminal Justice Portal Record
Agency/System: Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal / Tennessee Driver License Records
Subject: Brandon Jay Cook
Search Date: June 25, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 1 page

Summary

This one-page record documents a Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal driver-license search for Brandon Jay Cook conducted on June 25, 2020.

The search returned one potential match for Brandon Jay Cook and displayed identifying information maintained in Tennessee driver-license records.

The record includes Cook’s driver-license status and identifying information, including his physical description, county of residence, and an address associated with him at the time of the search.

The document indicates that Cook was associated with Hamilton County, Tennessee.

The page also contains the statutory notice that access to driver-license information is governed by the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) and states that driver-license photographs cannot be publicly disseminated without authorization from the Tennessee Department of Safety.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• investigators conducted a driver-license database search for Brandon Jay Cook;

• the search occurred on June 25, 2020;

• the Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal returned a potential matching record for Cook;

• the record contained identifying and locator information associated with Cook;

• Cook was associated with Hamilton County in the record;

• and the search was conducted through a restricted criminal-justice driver-license database.

Why This Document Matters

This document shows that Brandon Cook was specifically researched by investigators during the Randall Leslie homicide investigation.

The record itself does not explain why Cook was being investigated or what role police believed he had in the case. That significance must be determined by comparing this record with other investigative reports, search-warrant records, evidence-processing reports, interviews, and surveillance-related documents that mention Brandon Cook.

Cook is particularly worth tracking across the investigative file because his name should be compared with any reports describing activity at 4088 Teakwood Drive, including evidence collection, surveillance equipment, property handling, or individuals present during police searches.

This document therefore functions primarily as a locator and identification record, rather than evidence by itself that Cook committed or witnessed any offense.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Background / Identification Searches → Driver License Records → Brandon Cook

Tennessee Driver License Record — Christopher Antonio Hilt

Document Type: Driver License / Criminal Justice Portal Record
Agency/System: Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal / Tennessee Driver License Records
Subject: Christopher Antonio Hilt
Search Date: June 9, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 1 page

Summary

This one-page record documents a Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal driver-license search for Christopher Antonio Hilt conducted on June 9, 2020.

The search returned a driver-license record for Hilt containing identifying and locator information maintained through Tennessee driver-license databases.

The record includes Hilt’s physical description, driver-license information, county association, and a residential address listed in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The document associates Hilt with Hamilton County and shows that investigators were accessing his identifying information through a restricted criminal-justice database during the early stages of the Randall Leslie investigation.

The page also contains the statutory notice that access to driver-license records is governed by the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) and states that driver-license photographs cannot be disseminated publicly without authorization from the Tennessee Department of Safety.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• investigators conducted a driver-license database search for Christopher Antonio Hilt;

• the search was conducted on June 9, 2020;

• the database returned identifying and locator information for Hilt;

• the record associated him with Hamilton County, Tennessee;

• a Chattanooga residential address was contained in the record;

• and investigators were specifically researching Hilt during the Randall Leslie investigation.

Why This Document Matters

This document establishes that Christopher Hilt was specifically identified and researched by investigators by June 9, 2020.

The driver-license record itself does not explain why Hilt was being investigated, whether he was considered a witness, suspect, associate, property owner, or simply someone investigators needed to identify.

Its importance comes from placing Hilt within the investigative activity occurring at that point in the case.

The June 9, 2020 search date should be compared with police reports, search-warrant records, witness interviews, property records, telephone records, and other investigative documents mentioning Christopher Hilt to determine why investigators sought his information and what connection, if any, they documented between him and the Randall Leslie investigation.

This record should therefore be treated as an investigative identification and locator record, not by itself as evidence that Hilt committed or witnessed a crime.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Background / Identification Searches → Driver License Records → Christopher Hilt

Tennessee Driver License Record — Christopher Anton Johnson / Stockton Property

Document Type: Driver License / Criminal Justice Portal Record
Agency/System: Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal / Tennessee Driver License Records
Subject: Christopher Anton Johnson
Search Date: June 15, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Related Location: 6305 Stockton Drive
Document Length: 1 page

Summary

This one-page record documents a Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal driver-license search for Christopher Anton Johnson conducted on June 15, 2020.

The database search returned one potential matching driver-license record for Johnson and provided identifying and locator information maintained within Tennessee driver-license records.

Johnson is significant to the Randall Leslie investigation because 6305 Stockton Drive was identified by Investigator Stokes as Christopher Johnson’s residence. Stokes’s investigative report specifically describes the location as “6305 Stockton Drive / Christopher Johnson’s Residence.”

Multiple firearms were subsequently recovered from the Stockton residence during the investigation.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• investigators conducted a driver-license database search for Christopher Anton Johnson;

• the search occurred on June 15, 2020;

• the database returned one potential matching record;

• investigators obtained identifying and locator information associated with Johnson;

• Johnson was associated with Hamilton County, Tennessee;

• and investigators were specifically researching Johnson during the active Randall Leslie investigation.

Christopher Johnson’s Police Interview

Johnson’s importance goes beyond the driver-license search.

In his police interview, Johnson discussed events surrounding the search of his Stockton residence and raised a direct concern about evidence appearing inside his house.

Johnson told police that he had left the residence to obtain his blood-pressure medication and returned to discover a card or driver’s-license-type item inside his house that he said had not been there before.

According to the interview transcript, Johnson stated that the card was not even the normal size and told police that he believed they had put it there. He also described returning home and finding his door open.

This is important to characterize precisely: Johnson himself made the planting allegation during his police interview. It is not an allegation being attributed to him secondhand.

The available transcript does not conclusively establish whose identification card Johnson was referring to, so that connection should not be assumed without the corresponding evidence record.

Why This Document Matters

Christopher Johnson was not simply an unrelated individual whose name appeared in a database search.

He was the person associated with the Stockton residence where investigators recovered multiple firearms, including firearms that later became important to the prosecution.

Johnson then gave a police interview in which he personally raised concerns about what occurred inside his residence during the investigation, including his allegation that an identification-type card appeared while he was away and that he believed police had placed it there.

That makes Johnson’s interview relevant to the integrity and chain of custody of evidence recovered at Stockton.

Johnson also died shortly before Donyell Holland’s May 2024 trial — reportedly approximately two weeks before trial. As a result, the person associated with the Stockton residence was unavailable at trial to personally explain the residence, who had access to it, the circumstances surrounding the search, or the allegation he had previously made to police concerning evidence appearing inside his home.

Johnson’s driver-license record should therefore be preserved together with:

• his police interview;

• the Stockton search warrant;

• Stokes’s investigative reports;

• crime-scene and evidence-processing reports;

• the Stockton firearms records;

• property sheets;

• and any records identifying the card or driver’s-license-type evidence discussed by Johnson.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Background / Identification Searches → Driver License Records → Christopher Johnson / Stockton Property

Tennessee Driver License Records — Derik Adam Brown

Document Type: Driver License / Criminal Justice Portal Records
Agency/System: Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal / Tennessee Driver License Records
Subject: Derik Adam Brown
Search Dates: June 8, 2020 and June 19, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 2 pages

Summary

This two-page document contains two Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal driver-license searches for Derik Adam Brown conducted during the Randall Leslie investigation.

One search is dated June 8, 2020, and the other is dated June 19, 2020.

Both searches returned a potential matching Tennessee driver-license record for Derik Adam Brown and provided investigators with identifying and locator information maintained through Tennessee driver-license databases.

The records identify Brown as being associated with Hamilton County, Tennessee and contain his physical description, driver-license information, and a Chattanooga residential address.

The presence of two separate search pages establishes that investigators accessed Brown’s driver-license information on more than one occasion during June 2020.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• investigators conducted a driver-license database search for Derik Adam Brown on June 8, 2020;

• investigators conducted another search for Brown on June 19, 2020;

• both searches returned a potential matching record for Derik Adam Brown;

• investigators obtained identifying and locator information associated with Brown;

• Brown was associated with Hamilton County, Tennessee in the records;

• and Brown remained a specifically researched individual during the active Randall Leslie investigation.

Why This Document Matters

This document is important because the two search dates help establish the investigative attention being directed toward Derik Brown during June 2020.

Brown had already become connected to the investigation before these database searches through the events surrounding his May 28, 2020 Coffee County arrest and the property and cell phones subsequently associated with him.

The first driver-license search is dated June 8, 2020, showing that investigators were actively researching Brown’s identifying information at that stage of the investigation.

The second search, dated June 19, 2020, demonstrates that investigators returned to Brown’s records again eleven days later.

The fact that Brown was searched on two different dates should be preserved as part of the investigative timeline and compared with:

• Brown’s Coffee County arrest records;

• the transfer of Brown’s three cell phones;

• Brown’s police interviews;

• search-warrant activity;

• investigative reports describing Brown’s involvement;

• and later records concerning his role in the prosecution.

The driver-license records do not themselves establish criminal conduct. Their significance is that they provide dated documentation showing when investigators were actively identifying and researching Brown during the investigation.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Background / Identification Searches → Driver License Records → Derik Adam Brown

Tennessee Driver License Record — Donyell Dewayne Holland

Document Type: Driver License / Criminal Justice Portal Record
Agency/System: Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal / Tennessee Driver License Records
Subject: Donyell Dewayne Holland
Search Date: June 15, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 1 page

Summary

This one-page document records a Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal driver-license search for Donyell Dewayne Holland conducted on June 15, 2020.

The search returned one potential matching driver-license record for Holland and provided investigators with identifying and locator information maintained in Tennessee driver-license databases.

The record includes Holland’s driver-license information, physical description, county association, and a Chattanooga residential address.

The record associates Holland with Hamilton County, Tennessee and shows that investigators specifically accessed his identifying information during the Randall Leslie homicide investigation.

The page also contains the standard notice that access to driver-license records is governed by the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) and that driver-license photographs cannot be disseminated to the public or press without authorization from the Tennessee Department of Safety.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• investigators conducted a driver-license database search for Donyell Dewayne Holland;

• the search occurred on June 15, 2020;

• the database returned one potential matching record;

• investigators obtained identifying and locator information associated with Holland;

• the record associated Holland with Hamilton County, Tennessee;

• a Chattanooga residential address was listed in the driver-license record;

• and Holland was specifically being researched during the active Randall Leslie investigation.

Why This Document Matters

This document provides a dated record showing that investigators were continuing to research and document Donyell Holland’s identifying and locator information on June 15, 2020.

The timing is important because this search occurred after the June 8–9 search activity at Teakwood and Stockton and after Holland had already been questioned during the investigation.

The June 15 driver-license search should therefore be preserved as part of the investigative timeline and compared with:

• Holland’s police interview records;

• the Teakwood and Stockton search warrants;

• property and evidence records;

• reports identifying where Holland was located during the searches;

• records concerning identifying documents recovered during the searches;

• and other database searches conducted for individuals connected to the investigation.

This record is also useful when examining the identification evidence associated with the Stockton search. Because investigators had direct access to Holland’s official driver-license information, any identification card, driver-license-type item, or other identifying material later attributed to Holland should be matched carefully to the evidence inventory and recovery reports rather than assumed to be the same document shown in this database record.

The driver-license search itself does not establish criminal conduct. Its significance is that it provides a specific dated investigative record showing that Holland’s official identifying information was being accessed and reviewed by investigators.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Background / Identification Searches → Driver License Records → Donyell Dewayne Holland

Tennessee Driver License Record — Kiara Charday Carson

Document Type: Driver License / Criminal Justice Portal Record
Agency/System: Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal / Tennessee Driver License Records
Subject: Kiara Charday Carson
Search Date: June 11, 2020
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 1 page

Summary

This one-page document records a Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal driver-license search for Kiara Charday Carson conducted on June 11, 2020.

The search returned one potential matching driver-license record for Carson and provided investigators with identifying and locator information maintained through Tennessee driver-license databases.

The record includes Carson’s driver-license information, physical description, county association, and a residential address in Ooltewah, Tennessee.

The record associates Carson with Hamilton County, Tennessee and shows that investigators specifically accessed her identifying and locator information during the Randall Leslie investigation.

The page also contains the standard notice that access to driver-license information is governed by the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) and that driver-license photographs cannot be publicly disseminated without authorization from the Tennessee Department of Safety.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• investigators conducted a driver-license database search for Kiara Charday Carson;

• the search occurred on June 11, 2020;

• the database returned one potential matching record;

• investigators obtained identifying and locator information associated with Carson;

• Carson was associated with Hamilton County, Tennessee;

• an Ooltewah residential address appeared in the record;

• and Carson was specifically being researched during the active Randall Leslie investigation.

Why This Document Matters

Kiara Carson was not simply a name appearing incidentally in the case file. She was an important person in the early Randall Leslie investigation, and this record provides a specific date showing investigators were actively researching her official identifying and locator information by June 11, 2020.

The timing should be preserved and compared with:

• Carson’s police interviews;

• reports concerning Randall Leslie’s movements before his death;

• vehicle records associated with the investigation;

• witness statements;

• search-warrant activity;

• and other investigative records involving Carson.

This driver-license search does not itself establish what Carson told investigators or what investigators believed her role to be. Its significance is that it provides a dated investigative record showing when police accessed her official identification and locator information.

Because Carson later became an important source of information concerning Randall Leslie’s condition and movements, this June 11 search should be placed into the broader timeline of when investigators identified, located, and interviewed the people connected to the events surrounding Leslie’s disappearance and death.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Background / Identification Searches → Driver License Records → Kiara Charday Carson

Stokes Email Distributing BOLOs — Vanessa Terry and Brittany Lanham

Document Type: Investigative Email / BOLO Distribution Record
Agency: Chattanooga Police Department
Sender: Investigator Corey Stokes
Recipient: CPD Sworn Personnel
Email Date: June 27, 2020 at 6:02 PM
Subject: WANTED POSTERS
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Attachments: Vanessa Terry BOLO and Brittany Lanham BOLO
Document Length: 1 page

Summary

This one-page Chattanooga Police Department email documents Investigator Corey Stokes distributing two wanted-for-questioning BOLO notices to CPD sworn personnel on June 27, 2020 at 6:02 PM.

The email was sent by Corey Stokes to the department-wide CPD Sworn distribution address under the subject “WANTED POSTERS.”

Two documents were attached:

• TERRY, VANESSA WANTED POSTER.docx

• LANHAM, BRITTANY WANTED POSTER.docx

The corresponding BOLOs identify both Vanessa Terry and Brittany Lanham as wanted for questioning only and state that each woman had been present during a violent crime occurring on May 27, 2020 and possessed information considered vital to the investigation.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• Investigator Corey Stokes created or possessed BOLO notices for both Vanessa Terry and Brittany Lanham;

• Stokes distributed both notices to CPD sworn personnel;

• the department-wide distribution occurred on June 27, 2020 at 6:02 PM;

• both BOLOs were transmitted together in the same email;

• the email characterized the attachments as “WANTED POSTERS”;

• and CPD was actively attempting to locate Terry and Lanham for questioning during the Randall Leslie homicide investigation.

Why This Document Matters

This email is important because it provides the distribution record behind the two separate BOLO documents.

The Terry and Lanham BOLOs establish what police said about each woman individually. This email adds another piece: it establishes when Stokes circulated those notices throughout the Chattanooga Police Department and to whom they were distributed.

The timing is significant. The BOLO distribution occurred on June 27, 2020, after Randall Leslie’s body had been located and the investigation had developed into a homicide investigation.

It also shows that CPD was simultaneously attempting to locate both Vanessa Terry and Brittany Lanham, each of whom police represented as having been present during the May 27 violent crime and possessing information considered vital to the case.

This email should therefore be preserved with:

• the Brittany Lanham BOLO;

• the Vanessa Terry BOLO;

• interviews and statements from both women;

• reports showing when each woman was eventually located or interviewed;

• and records documenting how their respective accounts developed during the investigation.

The email itself does not establish what either woman witnessed. Its importance is that it provides a dated investigative record showing Stokes’s formal department-wide effort to locate both women for questioning.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → BOLO / Witness Location Notices → BOLO Distribution Correspondence → Terry & Lanham

Howard Johnson Hotel Receipt — Jahala Sanders

Document Type: Hotel Folio / Lodging Receipt
Business: Howard Johnson, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Guest Listed: Jahala Sanders
Hotel Address: 3109 Parker Lane, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Room: 123
Arrival Date: May 27, 2020
Nights: 1
Guests Listed: 2
Print Date: June 16, 2020 at 10:46 AM
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 1 page

Summary

This one-page Howard Johnson hotel folio documents a hotel stay under the name Jahala Sanders beginning on May 27, 2020, the same date identified throughout the Randall Leslie investigation as the date of the underlying violent incident.

The receipt identifies the Howard Johnson located at 3109 Parker Lane in Chattanooga, Tennessee and lists Room 123.

The reservation reflects:

• an arrival date of May 27, 2020;

• a stay of one night;

• two guests;

• and a room described as having two queen beds and being non-smoking.

The folio was printed on June 16, 2020 at 10:46 AM, showing that the hotel record was obtained or printed during the active police investigation several weeks after the stay.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• a Howard Johnson room was registered under the name Jahala Sanders;

• the stay began on May 27, 2020;

• the reservation was for one night;

• two guests were recorded;

• the assigned room was Room 123;

• the hotel was located in Chattanooga;

• and a copy of the folio was printed on June 16, 2020.

Why This Document Matters

The significance of this document is primarily its date and its presence in Investigator Stokes’s case file.

The hotel stay began on May 27, 2020, which places it directly within the critical period being investigated in the Randall Leslie case.

The receipt also records two guests, making it important to determine from other investigative records who police believed occupied the room and why this hotel stay was considered relevant enough to preserve in the homicide file.

The receipt itself does not identify the second guest and does not explain what occurred at the hotel. It therefore should not be used by itself to claim that any particular person was present other than the registered guest named on the folio.

This document should be compared with:

• witness interviews mentioning a hotel or motel;

• phone-location records;

• vehicle-location evidence;

• surveillance records;

• police reports involving Jahala Sanders;

• and investigative reports explaining why officers obtained this particular hotel receipt.

The June 16, 2020 print date may also help establish when investigators sought or obtained the hotel information.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Location / Lodging Records → Hotel Records → Howard Johnson / Jahala Sanders

Receipt Documented as Found in Donyell Holland’s Pocket

Document Type: Receipt / Personal Property Evidence
Agency File: Chattanooga Police Department — Randall Leslie investigation
Person Associated: Donyell Dewayne Holland
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 1 page
Filename: Leslie, Randall 20-052161 Stokes Receipt in Donyell's Pocket.pdf

Summary

This one-page document is preserved in Investigator Stokes’s Randall Leslie investigative file under the filename “Receipt in Donyell’s Pocket.”

The document appears to be a scanned or photographed receipt that investigators associated with Donyell Holland’s personal property.

The text extraction from the available scan is severely distorted and does not reliably reveal the merchant, transaction date, time, amount, location, or items purchased.

Because those details cannot be read accurately from the available copy, they should not be inferred or added to the evidence summary until the receipt itself can be visually read from a clearer image or original scan.

What This Document Establishes

From the document currently available, the record establishes that:

• investigators preserved a receipt as part of the Randall Leslie investigative file;

• the document was specifically labeled in the case materials as a receipt found in or associated with Donyell Holland’s pocket;

• the receipt was retained separately as an investigative document;

• and investigators apparently considered the receipt relevant enough to preserve in Stokes’s case materials.

The present scan does not reliably establish:

• where the receipt came from;

• when the purchase occurred;

• what was purchased;

• the transaction amount;

• or how investigators believed the receipt related to the homicide investigation.

Why This Document Matters

A contemporaneous receipt can potentially serve as location, date, time, or activity evidence, depending on the information printed on it.

For that reason, this document could become important if the original receipt contains a readable transaction date, timestamp, merchant location, or purchase information that can be compared with the investigative timeline.

However, none of those details should presently be claimed from this scan because the available text is too degraded to read reliably.

This receipt should be compared with:

• the evidence/property inventory identifying Holland’s personal property;

• reports describing when and where Holland’s property was collected;

• Holland’s interview and detention records;

• phone-location evidence;

• surveillance or transaction records;

• and any investigative report specifically explaining why this receipt was retained.

Catalog Category

Physical Evidence / Personal Property → Receipts & Transaction Records → Donyell Holland

Residential Lease — T.G. Properties, LLC

Document Type: Residential Lease / Property-Occupancy Record
Landlord/Lessor: T.G. Properties, LLC
Tenant: Not reliably readable from the available copy
Property Address: Not reliably readable from the available copy
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 2 pages
Source File: Investigator Stokes case materials

Summary

This two-page document is a residential lease maintained within Investigator Corey Stokes’s Randall Leslie investigative file.

The lease identifies T.G. Properties, LLC as the landlord or lessor. The available text extraction does not clearly reproduce the tenant’s name, the leased premises, or the complete lease date, so those details should not be assigned without reviewing a clearer image of the original document.

The agreement contains ordinary lease provisions governing the tenant’s possession and use of the property, security deposit, maintenance responsibilities, utilities, access by the landlord, default and termination procedures, insurance, occupancy restrictions, and other conditions of tenancy.

The lease states that only persons listed on the agreement are permitted to live in the unit and prohibits other unlisted persons from occupying it.

The document also contains an addendum imposing additional restrictions, including prohibitions concerning unauthorized pets, indoor smoking, certain vehicles, partying on the property, and drugs.

What This Document Establishes

From the presently readable portions, this document directly establishes that:

• investigators possessed a lease agreement involving T.G. Properties, LLC;

• the lease was preserved within Stokes’s Randall Leslie investigative materials;

• the agreement concerned occupancy and control of a particular property;

• the lease restricted occupancy to the persons specifically listed on the agreement;

• the landlord retained rights of reasonable access for inspection and repair;

• the tenant was prohibited from subletting or assigning the lease;

• and the document contained conditions governing who could lawfully occupy and use the premises.

The available extraction does not reliably establish:

• the identity of the tenant;

• the exact property address;

• the exact effective date of the lease;

• or why investigators considered this particular lease relevant to the Randall Leslie investigation.

Why This Document Matters

This document could be important because a lease can provide direct evidence of who had lawful possession, occupancy, or control of a residence at a particular time.

That becomes especially relevant in this investigation because several locations were searched and physical evidence was attributed to particular residences or occupants.

The provision stating that only persons listed on the lease were authorized to live in the unit could become significant if investigators or prosecutors later attributed possession of evidence found at that location to someone who was not actually the tenant or authorized occupant.

The lease should therefore be compared with:

• the Teakwood and Stockton search warrants;

• Stokes’s reports identifying the occupants of those residences;

• property-owner and property-tax records;

• driver-license and address records;

• evidence inventories identifying where particular items were recovered;

• and testimony concerning who lived at or controlled the searched premises.

Until the tenant name and property address are clearly identified, however, the lease should be treated as an unresolved occupancy/property record rather than attributed to a specific house or person.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Property / Residence Records → Lease & Occupancy Documents → T.G. Properties, LLC

Tennessee Vehicle Title / Registration Record — Cherie Witherow / Mitsubishi Lancer

Document Type: Vehicle Title / Registration Record
Agency/System: Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal — TR Record
Registered Owner Listed: Cherie Witherow
Search Date: June 17, 2020
Vehicle: Mitsubishi Lancer
Model Year: 2017
VIN: JA32U2FU1HU010820
County: Hamilton County, Tennessee
Lienholder Listed: Capital One Auto Finance
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 1 page

Summary

This one-page Tennessee Criminal Justice Portal record documents a vehicle title/registration search conducted on June 17, 2020 for VIN JA32U2FU1HU010820.

The search returned one potential matching vehicle record and identifies the vehicle as a 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer.

The registration record identifies Cherie Witherow as the registered owner and associates the vehicle with Hamilton County, Tennessee.

The record also identifies Capital One Auto Finance as a lienholder associated with the vehicle.

The fact that this title/registration inquiry was preserved in Investigator Stokes’s Randall Leslie case materials shows that investigators were specifically researching this Mitsubishi and its registered ownership during the active homicide investigation.

What This Document Establishes

This record directly documents that:

• investigators conducted a Tennessee title/registration search on June 17, 2020;

• the searched VIN was JA32U2FU1HU010820;

• the database returned one potential matching record;

• the vehicle was identified as a 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer;

• Cherie Witherow was listed as the registered owner;

• the vehicle was associated with Hamilton County, Tennessee;

• and Capital One Auto Finance was listed as a lienholder.

Why This Document Matters

This document is potentially important because a Mitsubishi Lancer was a significant vehicle in the Randall Leslie investigation.

Derik Brown had been encountered and arrested in Coffee County in connection with a Mitsubishi during the early stages of the investigation, and investigators later processed a Mitsubishi as part of the Leslie case.

This title/registration record should therefore be compared directly with:

• the Coffee County records involving Derik Brown;

• the Mitsubishi vehicle seizure and search records;

• towing and release paperwork;

• crime-scene processing reports;

• evidence inventories;

• vehicle VIN and tag information contained in police reports;

• and records identifying Randall Leslie or other individuals as owners or users of the Mitsubishi.

The VIN is the critical identifier. If JA32U2FU1HU010820 matches the Mitsubishi documented elsewhere in the case, then this record establishes that the official Tennessee registration database identified Cherie Witherow as the registered owner of that vehicle at the time investigators ran the search.

That would need to be compared carefully with any police report, testimony, or other document describing the same Mitsubishi as belonging to Randall Leslie or another person. If the descriptions differ, the records should be presented as a documented ownership/registration discrepancy, not resolved by assumption.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Vehicle Records → Title / Registration Searches → Cherie Witherow / Mitsubishi Lancer

Transport Memo — Brittney Lanham

Document Type: Transport Memo / Investigative Movement Record
Agency/File: Chattanooga Police Department — Randall Leslie investigative materials
Subject: Brittney Lanham
Related Investigation: Randall Leslie homicide investigation
Document Length: 2 pages
Filename: Leslie, Randall 20-052161 King Transport Memo - Brittney Lanham.pdf

Summary

This two-page document is a transport memo concerning Brittney Lanham that was preserved within the Randall Leslie homicide investigative file.

The existence of a separate transport memo indicates that a law-enforcement transport involving Lanham was formally documented as part of the investigation.

The available PDF is a scanned document with no readable extracted text, so the present copy does not reliably reveal the transport date, transporting officer, pickup location, destination, reason for transport, or circumstances surrounding the transport.

Those details should not be inferred from the filename alone and should be added only after the scanned pages can be read directly.

What This Document Establishes

From the presently available record, this document establishes that:

• investigators maintained a separate transport memo concerning Brittney Lanham;

• the memo consists of two pages;

• it was preserved within the Randall Leslie investigative materials;

• and Lanham’s movement or transportation by law enforcement was significant enough to be separately documented.

The present copy does not yet reliably establish:

• the date and time of the transport;

• who transported Lanham;

• where she was picked up;

• where she was taken;

• whether the transport was voluntary or custodial;

• or the stated investigative purpose of the transport.

Why This Document Matters

This record could be important for reconstructing Brittney Lanham’s contacts and movements involving law enforcement during the Randall Leslie investigation.

Once the underlying transport information is readable, it should be compared with:

• Lanham’s BOLO;

• the June 27, 2020 BOLO distribution email;

• her June 12, 2020 Mapco arrest records;

• her police interviews;

• reports documenting when investigators located or contacted her;

• and later statements or testimony concerning her involvement in the case.

The transport date and destination could help determine when investigators had direct access to Lanham, where she was taken, and how that contact fits into the sequence of her interviews and other investigative activity.

Until the scanned memo itself is readable, however, the document should be preserved as a transport record with specific details pending verification, rather than assigning facts that are not visible in the current copy.

Catalog Category

Investigative Records → Witness / Suspect Movement → Transport Records → Brittney Lanham