Trial for 1996 tanning bed killings delayed

A man charged with murder in the stabbing of two women at an adult tanning parlor in 1996 will be released on bond while the state tests new evidence in the case.

Prosecutors agreed on Wednesday to reduce Patrick L. Streater’s bond from $750,000 to $25,000. Judge Monte Watkins signed off on the agreement, which also requires Streater to be monitored electronically and to avoid contact with people associated with the case.

Streater’s mother, Patrycia Streater, walked out of court with a wide smile, and headed straight to a bond office to secure her son’s release — the family couldn’t afford the higher bond rate.

“We’re ecstatic and feel truly blessed that this is happening,” Patrycia Streater said. “It’s been many, many years, over 10 years, since we’ve been able to spend Christmas with Patrick.”

Assistant District Attorney Tammy Meade said in court that the state wanted to test new evidence in the case. Meade asked to delay Streater’s trial, which was scheduled to begin in January, to allow for the testing.

Patrick Streater’s lawyer Kyle Mothershead said the agreement was an indication that the state’s case was not strong enough to secure a conviction. Meade said through a spokeswoman that the district attorney’s office was moving forward with the testing of the “newly discovered” evidence.

Streater has maintained his innocence for years, and in a previous hearing Mothershead talked to witnesses who suggested someone else was responsible for the killings.

Tiffany Campbell and Melissa Chilton were both 18 when a manager of an exotic tanning parlor on Church Street, where the women worked, found them stabbed to death on the afternoon of Feb. 22, 1996.

The case went cold for years. Streater was indicted in the killings in 2013 — he was in a California prison at the time for a string of robberies. When that sentence was finished in 2015, Streater was returned to Nashville to face the two first-degree murder charges.

Chilton’s mother, Gail Chilton, was in court Wednesday and said afterward that she supported the district attorney’s decision to agree to a bond reduction. She extended an olive branch to Streater and his family in an interview.

“He has been graced by God today to be let out. He has the opportunity to turn his life around,” Chilton said. “He can feed the homeless, he can do community service, he can get a job.”

Chilton said she did not know what would happen with Streater’s case, saying she welcomed the additional testing and would continue to support prosecutors. But she acknowledged that Wednesday marked a happy moment for Streater’s mother.

“I wish them the best, I really do,” Chilton said. “She’s got her son, she probably hasn’t spent Christmas with him in years, and I wish both of them the best.”

Patrycia Streater, who has maintained her son’s innocence and said she was praying for his exoneration, added she was also praying for Chilton’s family.

“I want them to have justice for their children,” Patrycia Streater said. “I want justice for mine as well.”