The District Attorney General for Tennessee’s 9th Judicial District, Russell Johnson, has officially requested the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the stabbing death of Corrections Officer Dustin Pedigo at the Morgan County Correctional Complex (MCCX) on the evening of February 24, 2026. Pedigo was killed while performing routine inmate cell door checks.

After consulting with the TBI, State Senator Ken Yager (who represents Morgan County), and the current and immediate past chairs of the legislative Corrections Oversight Committee (Senators Tom Hatcher and Ed Jackson), the predication focuses on systemic safety failures at the facility. A key issue highlighted is the long-standing problem of inmates being able to “jam” cell door locks, allowing them to “spring” the doors open. TDOC Commissioner Frank Strada acknowledged during a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing that the department has been aware of this vulnerability since 2013, yet no replacement of the doors or locking mechanisms has occurred at MCCX in the intervening thirteen years.

Additional concerns include TDOC’s failure to implement secondary exterior locks or other practical safety measures to better protect corrections officers. Senator Yager also raised specific “red flags” regarding the inmate who murdered Officer Pedigo. While TDOC’s own investigators continue their work on the homicide itself, the TBI has been asked to examine the broader operational and security shortcomings that may have contributed to the tragedy. The Morgan County Grand Jury is next scheduled to meet on May 26th.