Charges dropped against man accused in Nashville tanning salon murders

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (KTRK) -- The man accused in the murders of two women at a Nashville tanning salon in the 1990s has been released from prison and will now not face any charges in their deaths.

College students Tiffany Campbell and Melissa Chilton were brutally killed in 1996. Their case remained unsolved until 2013 when Patrick Lamont Streater, Campbell's former boyfriend, was charged in their deaths.

Streater's attorney, Kyle Mothershead, told WMC Action News that the charges were dropped after "high-end DNA testing" this past spring.

Mothershead released a statement on Friday after his client was released.

"Today the State dropped the prosecution in the Patrick Streater case.

The case against Patrick had been falling apart for years, culminating with high-end DNA testing conducted this spring that both exonerated Patrick and implicated an unidentified man.

We appreciate the hard work of the Davidson County District Attorney's Office in seeking justice in this case, and we admire the grace with which Gail Chilton has endured this process. It is unfortunate that the Metro Nashville Police Department rushed to judgment early on, accusing Patrick before the investigation was complete. Patrick spent two and a half years in the Davidson County jail for murders he did not commit - we hope that MNPD can learn some humility from this tragic mistake.

For his part, Patrick will focus on reconnecting with his children, building a career, and helping young people make the right choices in life. He is grateful justice was ultimately done in his case, and that he will finally be able to move on with his life."

Streater's mom said they made the right decision to release her son after more than five years behind bars.

"They did the right thing by dropping the charges today because the DNA evidence does not point to Patrick at all," said Patrick's mother Patrycia Streater. "I believed his innocence from the very beginning."

But Chilton's mother, Gail, believes Streater is still the man responsible for the killings.

"As of right now, he is our suspect, but until we go into a court of law and a jury agrees, he's free," said Gail.