NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A bill that would create a registry for repeat domestic violence offenders unanimously passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee Wednesday after emotional testimony from the mother of the Robertson County Sheriff’s deputy the proposal is named for.
Under “Savanna’s Law, ” habitual domestic violence offenders would be placed on a domestic violence registry after their second conviction. The registry, which would be public, would include the offender’s name, date of birth, photo, and the date and county of their conviction(s). An offender could remain on the registry anywhere between two to 20 years, depending on their number of convictions.
The proposed legislation is named after Savanna Puckett, a Robertson County Sheriff’s Deputy who, on Jan. 23, 2022, at 22 years old, was brutally murdered at her Springfield home.
📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →
The man responsible, James Jackson Conn, had a history of domestic assault and trespassing. However, when Puckett searched his criminal record after he started exhibiting some concerning behaviors, all she could find was a marijuana charge.
Savanna’s mother, Kim Dodson, told lawmakers during the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee Wednesday, Conn showed up to her daughter’s Springfield home and shot her nine times before suffocating her dog and setting her home on fire.
“What if this was your sister, brother, niece, mother, or even daughter? How would you feel?” Dodson said. “My beautiful daughter would have been 26 years old on March 10, 2025, just two days ago. Instead [of celebrating], I was visiting her grave.”
Republican Rep. Sabi ‘Doc’ Kumar (R-Springfield) sponsored the bill last year, but it fizzled out because funding never materialized. He plans to work harder this year to obtain the money needed to create and maintain the registry because it could save lives.
“[Savanna’s] mother’s feeling was if there was a violent domestic offenders registry, considering Savanna worked in law enforcement and would have been very aware of it, and this fellow had previous three convictions, if there was a registry the tragedy could have been avoided,” Rep. Kumar said.
The bill unanimously passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee Wednesday, and received bipartisan support. It will move on to the full House Judiciary Committee. The bill is also going through the committee process on the Senate side.
In Aug. 2023, Conn pleaded guilty to three charges connected to Puckett’s murder. He is serving a life sentence.
