McFarland v. State

Robert L. Brown, Justice.

The appellant, Benjamin McFarland, was convicted of capital murder and kidnapping and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole and life imprisonment, respectively. In the summer of 1996, McFarland (age 17) was part of a group of friends who stayed together at a house at 1123 North Spring Street in Harrison. The residence was rented by Robert Diemert (age 27), who had lost his job and allowed Jason McGehee (age 21), the leader of the group, to take over the premises. The members of the group, who were in their teens and early twenties, lived by cashing stolen and…