The man behind the notorious 1995 kidnapping and murder of two people in DeKalb County had another parole hearing last week. Chris Tatrow, 57, has spent more than 30 years in prison for the crimes which led to the deaths of Roger Dale Zammit and John Allen Harry. Tatrow is seeking his freedom, but it looks as if his time in prison will be continued.

Parole Board member Gary Faulcon voted to decline parole for Tatrow due to the seriousness of the offense. The final decision would be made by the entire parole board.

In 1994, James Christopher Tatrow, was the ring-leader in the kidnapping, torture and murder of 18-year-old Zammit and 26-year-old Harry. Tatrow with help from his co-defendants, kidnapped the two men and tied them up in his home.  Over a period of three days, he tortured, beat and stabbed them.   

After tying them up, he forced his victims to lay in the bathtub where he used a paracord rope to strangle Roger Zammit to death.  Harry tried to run away in the backyard, but Tatrow shot him with a rifle in the head, killing him.

Tatrow then wrapped their bodies in woven wire, tied concrete blocks to the victims. and threw their bodies off of Hurricane Bridge into Center Hill Lake. 

In July 1996, a jury convicted Tatrow of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping.  He received two life sentences to run concurrently.  According to the law at the time, he would be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.  The law has changed since then.

District Attorney Bryant C. Dunaway released a statement about Tatrow’s hearing, saying, “Today, April 8, 2025, I attended a parole hearing for inmate James Christopher Tatrow.   This was his third.   Myself and several members of the family of Roger Zammit attended to speak in opposition to Tatrow’s early release.”

“At the conclusion of the hearing, the hearing officer made his recommendation to decline parole due to the seriousness of the offense commenting that release would depreciate the seriousness of the crime.”

“Please take a moment today to remember ROGER DALE ZAMMIT and JOHN ALLEN HARRY.  Their lives were taken and their families continue to grieve.”

On Friday, April 11, the Board of Parole’s final decision was announced, declining parole due to the seriousness of the offense. Tatrow’s parole case will be reviewed again in three years (April 2028). To improve chances of parole at his next hearing, the Board recommended Mr. Tatrow maintains positive institutional behavior and complete programming as recommended by his Strong R assessment,” said Dustin Krugel, Communications Officer for the Tennessee Board of Parole in a statement.