April 11, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
It’s now official!
57-year-old Chris Tatrow will spend another three years in prison.
“After independently reviewing Chris Tatrow’s parole case following his review hearing held at Northwest Correctional Complex on April 8, 2025, the Board of Parole’s final decision was to decline parole due to the seriousness of the offense. His parole case will now be reviewed again in three years (April 2028). To improve chances of parole at his next hearing, the Board recommended Mr. Tatrow maintains positive institutional behavior and complete programming as recommended by his Strong R assessment,” said Dustin Krugel, Communications Officer for the Tennessee Board of Parole in a statement to WJLE Friday morning, April 11.
“Four concurring Board member votes were needed to reach a final decision. In this particular case, after independently reviewing and voting on this case, the Board eventually adopted Board member Gary Faulcon’s recommendation following the April 8 hearing,” said Krugel.
“The Board decides whether to grant or deny parole on a case-by-case basis by evaluating each inmate across a list of many different standards and criteria, including seriousness of the offense, time served, a risk/needs assessment, the offender’s institutional record, victim input, and the statements of the offender and other interested parties,” he added.
Tatrow is serving a life sentence for first degree murder in the 1995 DeKalb County murders of 26-year-old John Harry and 18-year-old Roger Zammit. He is incarcerated at the Northwest Correctional Complex (NWCX) in Lake County at Tiptonville, Tennessee.
(Click the link below to read details about the Chris Tatrow case in this 1998 Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruling)