People v. Reed

In the early morning hours of January 8, 1972, John Banks was found dead in the Cloud Nine Bar, a single bullet wound in his chest. The angle of the bullet was slightly downward. A blood alcohol reading of .29 indicated that the deceased had been highly intoxicated. Banks’ body had been found a few feet from the serving bar and from his pocket the police recovered a straight razor wrapped in dollar bills. There was, however, disagreement between two of the officers who testified as to whether the razor had been found in Banks’ pants pocket or in that of his jacket.

The testimony provided a…