Jones v. State
Party Name: | Attorney Name: | Brief(s) Available: | ||
Appellant: | Brett Jones |
WILLIAM C. BRISTOW |
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Appellee: | State of Mississippi | OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL: DEIRDRE MCCRORY |
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Synopsis provided by: If you are interested in subscribing to the weekly synopses of all Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals hand downs please contact Tammy Upton in the MLI Press office. |
Topic: | Murder - Sufficiency of evidence - Photographs |
Summary of the Facts: | Brett Jones, Jr. was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He appeals. |
Summary of Opinion Analysis: | Issue 1: Sufficiency of evidence Jones argues that the evidence was insufficient, because there were no eyewitnesses to the crime. From the evidence, it is clear that a rational trier of fact could have found Jones guilty of murder. Jones admitted to killing his grandfather, though he, the only witness to the actual crime, claimed self-defense. Another witness testified that Jones intended to hurt his grandfather. While there may have been conflicting testimony, the verdict was not so contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence as to constitute an unconscionable injustice. Issue 2: Photographs Jones argues that three photographs entered into evidence violated M.R.E. 403. Photographs are considered to have evidentiary value where they aid in describing the circumstances of the killing; describe the location of the body and the cause of death; supplement or clarify witness testimony. Here, the photographs had evidentiary value and their potential for prejudice did not outweigh their probative value. |
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