People v. Alphus Harris

After arguing over a $15.00 debt, defendant killed Curtis Johnson in an apartment shared by defendant’s brother, Fred Harris, and Christine Johnson, sister of the deceased. There was sufficient evidence for the jury to find that defendant kicked open the door and pursued deceased into a bathroom where he shot him twice as the deceased, unarmed, pleaded for his life. There was also evidence to support defendant’s claim of self-defense, that the deceased was advancing with a knife when defendant gunned him down.

The jury needed all of the information it could get to evaluate the conflicting…