Johnia's Murder Investigation and the Knox Sheriff's Race

Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison is up for re-election this year. He and his challenger, former Knoxville mayor Randy Tyree, debated each other on the radio this week. The Johnia Berry murder investigation came up during the debate.

As both candidates tried to out-vow each other to keep politics out of the Sheriff's Office, the ongoing murder case of Johnia Berry made its way into the debate.

Berry's father, Michael Berry, phoned in to ask why Hutchison hasn't allowed the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to review the case, which is now some 19 months old, with "a new set of eyes."

Similarly, another caller asked why Hutchison has not granted the family's request to feature the case on "America's Most Wanted."

The sheriff said TBI investigators generally lend their help to smaller counties with fewer resources, although they have examined the forensic evidence, including DNA samples collected at the crime scene.

And Hutchison said he doubted the value of a national broadcast; he thinks Berry's killer is local.

"No one's ever said we wouldn't (use 'America's Most Wanted')," he said, but he'll still hold off on that option until "we dry up and don't have leads here, when we feel that individual has left the state."