The Last Ride

Murder, Money, and the Sensational Trial That Captivated Nashville

By: Martha Smith Tate

Narrated by: Adam Barr

The Last Ride is the first book ever written about the murder of prominent Nashville citizen W. Haynie Gourley on May 24, 1968, and the heart-stopping, controversial trial that riveted the city of Nashville, Tennessee, and caused a sensation during the summer of 1969.

Set primarily amid the racial turmoil following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968 The Last Ride traces the circumstances leading up to the killing of Haynie Gourley—the popular, self-made millionaire Chevrolet dealer—the extensive manhunt and police investigation, and the improbable grand jury indictment of a popular former college football star.

The Last Ride follows the life of Haynie Gourley from before an unspeakable tragedy at age eight leads to a lonely, impoverished childhood in Cross Plains, Tennessee, to his 1915 arrival as a teenager in Nashville where he takes a job as an itinerant salesman of men's made-to-order suits, to his months in the trenches of France during WWI, to his prominence in the city's automobile industry and his rise in the society of wealthy Belle Meade, ultimately becoming a member of the exclusive Belle Meade Country Club. The story is told against the backdrop of the founding and growth of Nashville, the nascent Civil Rights movement, the racial climate at Vanderbilt University during the still-segregated 1960s, along with the social history of the charmed Gourley family.

The story centers around the events of the morning of May 24, 1968. Haynie Gourley, owner and founder of a successful automobile dealership, Capitol Chevrolet Company, agrees to go for a ride with his forty-year-old business partner. The two return to the dealership 15 minutes later. Haynie, 72, is dead of three gunshot wounds—one just below the left ear, a second to the neck, and a third to the chest. The shocking murder of a much-beloved citizen sets off a year of speculation: Where is the mysterious Black killer who vanished after jumping into the back seat of Haynie's car as he rode down Elm Hill Pike with his business partner? The murder occurred just as Haynie was about to realize his dream of having his only son take over and run his lucrative business. The timing of the murder is immediately suspicious, and the ownership of one of the most lucrative car dealerships in the South is in doubt.

For the first time ever, the author pieces together the events and evidence that bring into question the outcome of this notorious case. The two families involved kept silent for 50 years, refusing pleas by journalists and authors hoping to write about the murder and trial. Haunted by memories of sitting through the nail-biting trial where Tennessee's legendary legal giants faced off in a tense courtroom drama, the author spent three years interviewing those involved who still survive and carefully studying the 2,400-page transcript and delving into countless news stories about the crime.

This was Nashville's most publicized trial ever, covered obsessively by local broadcast TV stations and the two daily newspapers, the Nashville Banner and The Tennessean. Both papers printed the entire transcript of the trial as it happened. Even today, the story still fascinates. After hearing this true-crime story, one is left to wonder whether or not justice was served in the end.

©2022 Martha Smith Tate (P)2023 Podium Audio

Nashville upper crust history and a famous murder

The Last Ride gives a good overview of Nashville’s upper crust history. Sadly, when you are beautiful and popular you can get away with murder. Life in a southern town

Having grown up Nashville, I remember this murder, just being 12 years old, it was great to listen to the story.

Really like the book. I’m amazed this has not been made into a movie. These lawyers in the story would make great characters in a movie.

From a Nashvillian

I enjoyed the book. I had known about this particular situation and trial. I never knew the details and it gave me a better vision to what really happened.

Compelling

An in-depth look at a true murder story and ensuing trial along with background stories, Nashville history, and social norms of the 1960s.

Fascinating!

What a fascinating true story! Martha Smith Tate did an excellent job researching and writing this attention-grabbing piece of work. Simply fascinating and well worth reading!

Excellent

I really enjoyed this book ! I Highly recommend. Well researched and fascinating story. Narrator was excellent.

Riveting

It was a great listening experience. I am familiar with the Nashville area and am familiar with many of the key elements of the story.

Great reporting!

This sad, true story is well written and well narrated. I did not look up the ending to see what the jury verdict was, so it's shocking.
It's a very human, moving drama of a hardworking, self-made man from humble beginning with a loving family who had no reason to be murdered.