PodSubs / Podcasting News / Podcast probe triggers new-trial petition in 1998 'Skull' murder case News briefPodcast probe triggers new-trial petition in 1998 'Skull' murder caseA man convicted in the 1998 killing of Nashville bar owner David 'Skull' Schulman has petitioned for a new trial based on revelations from The Tennessean's 'Murder on Music Row' podcast. By The Tennessean · Published October 2, 2026 at 11:50 PM UTC · Announcement date 2026-10-02 James Caveye, convicted in the 1998 bludgeoning death of Nashville bar owner David 'Skull' Schulman, filed a petition on October 2, 2026 seeking a new trial based on reporting from The Tennessean's 'Murder on Music Row' podcast. The filing reveals that the Davidson County District Attorney's Conviction Review Unit has sent 1998 DNA evidence to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for retesting with more advanced technology.The podcast's second season, 'The Skull at the End of the Rainbow,' featured star witness Jason Pence saying his trial testimony — that he saw Caveye slash Schulman's throat and beat him with a liquor bottle — was false, and that he had been beaten and coerced into lying by a former Metro Nashville police detective. Pence apologized to Caveye's mother and sister in recorded phone calls in December 2025. Attorney Adam Rodrigues filed a writ of error coram nobis arguing that had Pence not testified falsely, the proceeding's result would have been different, filed inside the one-year statute of limitations.Announcement date: October 2, 2026. The Tennessean's account is exclusive and the petition's claims are allegations as filed; no court ruling has been reported. It is another data point in the growing, complicated record of investigative podcasts reopening closed cases.SourcesThe Tennessean Report a correction · Have podcast news? Submit it free for review