Mother-of-three convicted of murdering her millionaire husband now fighting for control of his estate from behind bars
- Kelley Cannon, of Nashville, found guilty of strangling attorney husband, James Cannon, to death in 2010
- She claims her sister-in-law, who is now raising her children, is 'squandering away' their inheritance
- Won a hearing in the Tennessee Court of Appeals that could give her access to the funds despite state rules banning anyone convicted of murdering a relative from inheriting their cash
- Insists she's innocent and criminal case is still ongoing
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Convicted killer: Kelley Cannon, pictured, is trying to re-open her murder case in an effort to protect her husband's estate for their children
A mother-of-three convicted of strangling her millionaire husband to death is trying to re-open her case in an effort to protect his estate for their children.
Kelley Cannon, of Nashville, claims the estate of her dead husband, James Cannon, is being squandered away before her kids, aged 5, 12 and 14, are old enough to inherit it.
Under Tennessee law, anyone who murders a relative is banned from inheriting their money but earlier this month Ms Cannon was granted a hearing by the state's court of appeal, which could give her access to the funds.
Ms Cannon was sentenced to life in prison in 2010 after a jury found her guilty of murdering her 44-year-old attorney husband, with whom she was in the throws of a bitter divorce.
DNA evidence on the tip of a latex glove led prosecutors to believe that she strangled Mr Cannon.
A cleaning lady found his body in a bedroom closet in his home.
Ms Cannon said she went to the house the night before his body was discovered and found the back door open but no sign of her husband.
Mr Cannon, who had full custody, had set up a trust for his three children years ago, which was taken over by a trust company after his murder.
The trust company gave access to James Cannon's sister, Anna Kate Stallings, who is now raising the couple's children.

Divorcing: Cannon, right, was sentenced to life in prison in 2010 after a jury found her guilty of murdering her 44-year-old attorney husband, James Cannon, left, with whom she was in the throws of a bitter divorce

Crime scene: A cleaning lady found James Cannon's body in a bedroom closet in his Nashville home, pictured
But Ms Cannon has accused Stallings of misappropriating the trust fund after she spent nearly $1 million on a home in a well-to-do Nashville suburb.
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ShareMs Cannon has maintained her innocence in the case, and her latest legal win could give her access to the trust fund, depending on the outcome of a civil jury trial.
Cannon appealed her criminal conviction after the decision and was denied but she has pursued the case and it currently sits before the state Supreme Court, The Tennessean reported.
Separately, Cannon has sought access to the trust fund and the appeals court said she at least deserves a hearing, reversing a lower court decision.


Re-open: Kelley Cannon, pictured right, is trying to re-open her case from behind bars in a fight over the estate of James Cannon, left
It's unclear how much money is in the trust but Mr Cannon's estate has been valued at around $8 million.
Stallings purchased the home in 2008, two months before taking custody of the children, for $925,000 with money from the estate.
Prior to that, the Stallings were living in a Franklin home valued around $250,000.
It is unclear what other transactions have been made or how much of the fund remains but Cannon's lawyer Andrew Cate insists the trust has been misappropriated.
'The terms of the trust state that Kelley needs to be notified before any funds are dispersed,' Cate said. 'She wants to make sure it's not squandered away.'
A flurry of lawsuits have been filed since the conviction, including a $40 million wrongful death case Stallings filed on behalf of the three children against their mother.
Though most of the civil suits have been put on hold until her criminal conviction is resolved.
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