In early February 2018, concern grew for 47-year-old Tivvis B. Garrison when a relative had not heard from her for several days. On February 3rd, the relative went to her home on Cobble Drive in the Brentwood area of Nashville, Tennessee, to check on her. Upon entering the residence, the relative discovered Ms. Garrison's body in her bedroom and immediately contacted the authorities. Police arrived to find a bloody scene and noted that her Cadillac was missing from the driveway.
Her death was quickly deemed suspicious.
Investigators identified Tivvis Garrison's 29-year-old nephew, Joshua Gaines, who had been living with her, as a person of interest. The search for her missing Cadillac led to a traffic stop just after midnight the following day when an officer spotted the vehicle on Woodland Street. Gaines was behind the wheel of his aunt's car and was found in possession of a loaded handgun and her cell phone. During questioning, detectives reported that Gaines was evasive and rambled without directly answering questions about his aunt's death.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Tivvis Garrison had been shot five times, with four of those wounds being to her head. A peculiar and notable detail of the crime scene was the discovery of pieces of sweet potato on her bed. During the legal proceedings, it came to light that the case was referred to as the 'sweet potato' murder. Prosecutors presented evidence showing that Joshua Gaines had used four sweet potatoes as makeshift silencers for the. 38 revolver he used to kill his aunt.
In July 2022, a Davidson County jury found Joshua Terelle Gaines guilty of first-degree felony murder in the shooting death of his aunt. He was also convicted of second-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Following his conviction, Gaines received an effective sentence of life in prison plus five years for the death of Tivvis Garrison.
