A Nashville man who once served more than 30 years for a 1993 first-degree murder conviction is back in the crosshairs of the justice system. Federal prosecutors say 51-year-old James Lafayette Moore, who was granted parole in March 2024, was indicted Thursday after allegedly shooting an unarmed man multiple times during an attack last August. The new federal case centers on a charge that he illegally possessed a firearm as a convicted felon in connection with that shooting.
Federal indictment and possible prison time
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, a federal grand jury returned the indictment on Feb. 19, charging Moore under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Prosecutors say the count carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlin C. Hess is handling the prosecution.
What investigators say happened on Antioch Pike
Prosecutors say the violence unfolded on Aug. 24, 2025, on the balcony of the My Town Extended Stay on Antioch Pike. Surveillance video allegedly shows Moore shooting an unarmed man four times in the face, neck and upper body at point-blank range. Bystanders then helped officers by directing them toward Moore’s alleged escape route, and police found him a short distance away at a Twice Daily gas station on Harding Place. A K-9 unit later recovered the pistol used in the shooting, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. “Our top priority is protecting our community from violent offenders who, despite records of serious violence, are back on the street committing more violence,” U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek said in the release.
Decades-old murder case and parole history
Records show Moore was convicted of first-degree murder in Rutherford County in 1993 and sentenced to life in prison. He was granted parole on March 14, 2024, after serving more than three decades. In August 2025, Metro Nashville police charged him with attempted criminal homicide after officers said he shot a man multiple times, a case first reported by WSMV.
What comes next in federal court
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metro Nashville Police Department investigated the case, which will now move through the federal court system. Booking records show Moore was arrested and processed in August 2025 at the Davidson County detention center, according to the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, and an indictment is an allegation - he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
