REMINDER/Murder on Music Row Survivor Sammy Sadler Tells His Story; Nashville Press Conference Immediately Following Nov. 7 Sentencing

Business Wire, Nov 7, 2003

Entertainment Editors/News Editors

REMINDER...for Friday (Nov. 7)

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2003

An anonymous gunman shot Sammy Sadler and Kevin Hughes on Music Row, March 9, 1989. Sadler survived; Hughes did not. Thirteen long years passed before a suspect was named in the case. On September 25, 2003, jurors convicted Richard D'Antonio of the murder of Kevin Hughes and of assault with intent to commit second-degree murder for the attack on Sadler. The conviction was the closure Sammy had hoped for these last 14 years.

On Friday, November 7 at 9 a.m., D'Antonio will be sentenced for his crimes and at last, Sadler is ready to publicly tell the story of that fateful night. Sammy will hold a press conference to discuss his feelings regarding the conviction of his attacker immediately after the sentencing. Sadler will meet the press outside of Criminal Court, Division 2, Courtroom #13, 601 Mainstream Drive (Metro Center) Nashville, Tennessee.

It took several years for Sadler to heal physically and several more years before he felt enough confidence to pick up his music career where he'd left off in 1989. Now, Sammy is back promoting his new single, "I Know A Place," and he feels a certain synergy between the progress of the case and the momentum of his career. "It's strange," he says. "Right around the time of the trial, I finished recording my new album, HARD ON A HEART, which is due out early next year on Texas Records. For the past month, I've been on a Southwestern radio tour and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I've got a solid team behind me now at the label and out in the field promoting this record. I feel free now. The trial has brought me a sense of closure and ignited a fire I haven't had in years. Everything in my life is moving forward once again."