Balfour v. State

GIVAN, Chief Justice.

Appellants and a third defendant were indicted for murder. All were tried together, however, the third defendant was acquitted. Appellants were found guilty and sentenced to forty (40) years imprisonment each.

The record shows the following facts. On February 8, 1979, there was a disturbance at Sam’s Pool Hall in Muncie, Indiana. The decedent, Pleas Whigum, had been verbally and physically harassing various patrons including defendant Balfour and some of his friends. Sometime after 4:00 P.M. one John Clay approached Whigum and began to argue with him about his earlier…