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23 Mem. St. U. L. Rev. 319 (1992-1993)
The Trexler Saga: Hale & (and) Middlebrooks

handle is hein.journals/umem23 and id is 329 raw text is: The Trexler Saga: Hale & Middlebrooks GARY R. WADE1 INTRODUCTION Kerry Phillip Bowers lived with his girlfriend, Tammy Trexler, and her son, Scotty, in a trailer on Thorps Chapel Road in Hawkins County, Tennessee. Bowers, who was unemployed, babysat while the child's mother was at work. Bowers brutalized Scotty Trexler, in- flicting beatings, burns, and other abuses in numerous, separate as- saults extending over a period of months. Despite the seriousness of his various injuries, Scotty rarely received medical treatment. His mother explained that she feared he would be taken away. On May 29, 1987, Scotty Trexler died at the age of 21 months.' The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy described the child's injuries as multiple and severe.3 The child suffered exten- sive facial burns, chest and back injuries, bulging bruises on the up- per inside of each thigh near the scrotum, and hemorrhaging under- neath his skin.' The adductor muscles, which pull the legs together, had been torn apart, and each hip joint had been yanked from its socket. Multiple injuries caused a compression of the brain into the spinal column, which in turn cut off the blood supply to the respira- tory organs, ultimately causing the child's death.0 Tammy Trexler was convicted of aggravated assault, failure to report child abuse, simple possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.' Kerry Phillip Bowers was charged with first degree murder, but the jury returned a verdict of murder 1. Judge, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. 2. State v. Bowers, No. 115, 1989 WL 86576 (Tenn. Crim. App. Aug. 2, 1989). 3. Id. at *3-4. 4. Id. at *4 5. Id. 6. Id. 7. Id. at *1.