People v. Johnson

Defendant Walter Johnson was convicted of voluntary manslaughter after a jury trial and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment. On appeal, he argues that his conviction should be reversed because (1) his use of force was reasonable under the circumstances; (2) the trial court erred by barring evidence of the decedent’s reputation for violent behavior; and (3) the trial court abused its discretion by imposing a 12-year sentence on the defendant. We affirm.

The facts giving rise to the appeal are as follows. On February 1, 1985, the defendant was approached by Calvin Dates (Calvin), a coworker at…