United States v. Lee R. Smith

Indicted for first degree murder, 1 appellant was found guilty of the lesser included offense of second degree murder. 2 On appeal he contends that the trial court committed three errors which justify reversal: (1) by refusing to admit, during appellant’s direct examination, a prior statement he gave to police, (2) in admitting two black and white photographs of the murder scene, and (3) in admitting testimony by the victim’s widow that her marriage was trouble-free. We see no necessity for oral argument and affirm the judgment of conviction.

I

The significant facts of the crime are relatively…