DA: State officials deny parole to Evangeline Combs for 2000 abuse case

A state board has officially denied parole for a Sullivan County woman currently serving a 65-year prison sentence for a child abuse case.

Sullivan County District Attorney Barry Staubus confirmed that Evangeline Combs was officially denied parole by the Tennessee Board of Parole after she appeared last week for her first parole hearing since her 2000 conviction. A parole board member recommended denying Combs parole last Thursday. She along with her husband Baptist pastor Joe Combs repeatedly tortured and abused Esther Combs, now known Elsa Garcia, for years. Joe Combs was sentenced to 114 years but died while in prison.

Evangeline will not be eligible for a parole hearing until 2029, according to Staubus.

(PHOTO: Pictured is West Tennessee State Penitentiary (TDOC). This is where Evangeline Combs is serving her 65-year sentence for child abuse.)