NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee father convicted of murdering his 5-year-old son with autism was denied a new trial by a judge Tuesday.
Joseph Daniels was convicted of second-degree murder and felony murder on Sept. 14, 2021, for the death of Joe Clyde, his 5-year-old son. As a result, he is most likely to spend the rest of his life in prison. However, his attorney argued Tuesday that the conviction should be thrown out and claimed that there was insufficient evidence.
Judge David Wolfe said Tuesday that the lawyer's allegation that the evidence was insufficient was not reasonable because Daniels had admitted in the trial that he had killed his son.
“I think reasonable individuals can find sufficient evidence. That confession was corroborated by many key points. My opinion — they all corroborated with testimony. Judging the evidence as a whole, the evidence was sufficient for a jury to find unanimous,” Wolfe said. “He was advised of his constitutional rights. He never asked to leave, to stop the interview, or ask for an attorney.”