Stratton v. State

Marshall, Chief Justice.

John E. Stratton appeals from his conviction of the malice murder of Jacqueline Denice Reed, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. We affirm.

Evidence was adduced to the following effect. Stratton and the victim, his common-law wife, returned to their trailer from a bar, where he had been drinking whiskey and beer. A blood-alcohol test administered two to three hours after the homicide revealed .16 percent alcohol in Stratton’s blood. Stratton testified that when he closed the breach of his shotgun, it discharged accidentally, killing his wife. Ballistics and…