April 7, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
After spending 27 years in prison for the 1995 kidnapping and brutal killing of two people in DeKalb County, 54-year-old Chris Tatrow wants to be a free man but any hopes he had of gaining release on parole anytime soon may have been dashed at his parole hearing Thursday.
At the conclusion of the session, hearing officer Roberta Kustoff, a Parole Board member, cast her vote to decline parole for Tatrow due to the seriousness of the offense but a final decision is not anticipated for a couple of weeks. “The file will go to other parole board members who will independently review and vote until there are enough concurring votes to reach a final decision. In Tatrow’s case, there needs to be four concurring votes by board members before a final decision is reached. Generally, it takes approximately a couple of weeks to finalize,” said Dustin Krugel, Communications Director for the Tennessee Board of Parole.
The parole hearing for Tatrow, who is serving a life sentence for first degree murder in the killings of John Harry and Roger Zammit, was held at the Northwest Correctional Complex (NWCX) in Lake County at Tiptonville, Tennessee where Tatrow is incarcerated. Tatrow has spent half of his life behind bars because of the crimes. This was Tatrow’s second appearance before members of the Tennessee Board of Parole. His first was in October 2019
District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway and Zammit’s sister spoke out against parole for Tatrow during Thursday’s hearing.
“Today, I attended the Parole Hearing for Inmate Christopher Tatrow and spoke in opposition to his release from prison,” said DA Dunaway in a prepared statement. “He was convicted by a Jury of the first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping of two young men. John Allen Harry and Roger Dale Zammit. At the conclusion of the Parole Hearing, the hearing officer, a Parole Board member, cast her vote to decline parole due to the seriousness of the offense. John Allen Harry and Roger Dale Zammit were both murdered on January 29, 1995 in DeKalb County. The trial was held in Cumberland County. John and Roger were kidnapped, held against their will, beaten and tortured over a 3 day period. After their deaths their murderer threw their bodies into Center Hill Lake. Unfortunately, the family of violent crime victims must deal with their pain and grief for the rest of their lives. Roger Zammit’s sister testified today. Her pain was apparent. She stated that “sitting here and him being up for parole is shocking in itself. I have to go to a cemetery to talk to my brother. I have to come to this hearing and try to convince a system to not let the killer of my brother out of prison.” This horrible case devastated the Harry and Zammit families and continues to do so, even today. Please take a moment to remember John and Roger and lift them and their families up in prayer,” said DA Dunaway.