Paul Belton v. United States

LEVENTHAL, Circuit Judge:

Appellant was indicted and tried for first-degree murder. The District Court charged the jury on first and second degree murder but refused a defense request for manslaughter instructions on the ground that there was no evidence to support a finding of guilt of this offense. The jury found appellant guilty of first-degree murder, thereby rejecting his claims of innocence and insanity. The jury recommended life imprisonment, see D.C.Code § 22-2404 (Supp. V, 1966). This appeal followed.

I Sufficiency of the Evidence

Appellant first contends that the trial court erred by…