Westbrooks v. State

Appellant, Woodrow Westbrooks, was convicted of murder by a Jefferson Circuit Court jury. He was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment.

The facts in the case pertinent to this appeal are as follows:

On August 1, 1980, Lynn Jones passed the apartment of a neighbor, Freeman Denton. She was able to see through a door into the apartment kitchen, where she observed Denton and another neighbor, Woodrow Westbrooks, seated at a table arguing. Ms. Jones was unable to hear what was being said, but she saw Westbrooks pick up a butcher knife and shake it at Denton. Although there is some conflict in the…