Little v. State

Several eyewitnesses testified that the defendant hit the victim over the head with a shovel and then stabbed him in the chest after the two argued while playing basketball.

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

The appellant, Barry Little, is appealing from his conviction for the felony murder of Ronald Crews.1 On appeal, Little contends, among other things, that the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction; that the trial court erred by admitting a prior statement of a witness into evidence; that the trial court erred by failing to charge the jury on reckless conduct; and that, in charging the jury on felony murder, the trial court improperly defined aggravated assault in a way that was not set forth in the indictment. Finding no merit to these contentions, we affirm Little’s conviction. 1. The evidence showed that on July 16, 1996, Little was playing basketball in front of his home with five other men, including Ronald Crews. Little and Crews got into an argument, and several eyewitnesses testified that Little then pulled a knife from his sock. Crews responded by getting a stick and chasing Little. Little then picked up a shovel while continuing to hold the knife in his other hand, and Crews began backing away from Little. All of the eyewitnesses testified that Crews did not attempt to hit Little with the stick he was carrying, and that, as Crews was backing away from Little, Little hit him in the head with the shovel and then stabbed him in the chest. Little, on the other hand, testified that Crews hit him with the stick several times after Little first swung at Crews with the shovel; that he Little was swinging at Crews with the shovel and the knife; that after he hit Crews with the shovel, Crews kept fighting him; that he Little kept stabbing at Crews with the knife; that he Little eventually struck Crews with the knife, causing him to fall down; and that, although he meant to stab at Crews to “get him off of me,” he did not “mean to kill Crews.” Crews died as a result of a stab wound to his heart.

Having reviewed the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, we conclude that a rational trier of fact could have found Little guilty of felony murder beyond a reasonable doubt.2

Little v. State

Several eyewitnesses testified that the defendant hit the victim over the head with a shovel and then stabbed him in the chest after the two argued while playing basketball.

Share with Email

Thank you for sharing!

Trending Stories

More From ALM

Subscribe to Daily Report