The 1969 trial of businessman Bill Powell for the murder of Haynie Gourley, his boss and mentor, has been called Nashville’s greatest courtroom drama.
In this episode, you’ll hear from many at the center of the case. After taking a break from jury selection to watch the Apollo moon landing, an all-white panel of 10 men and two women would hear two weeks of testimony.
It was a different age for the rules of procedure. Neither side knew who might be sworn in next. Surprise evidence and blockbuster witnesses were coming forward during the actual proceedings.
And like the O.J, Simpson trial a quarter century later, the verdict was convincing in the minds of jurors, but confounding for much of the public.