People v. Smith

The defendant, John T. Smith, was charged with murder in the death of Steve Smith (no relation). After a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. On appeal, the defendant contends that: (1) he was denied a fair trial because the jury was improperly instructed; (2) his defense counsel was ineffective; (3) the trial court considered improper factors in sentencing the defendant; and (4) he is entitled to two additional days’ credit against his sentence of imprisonment.

Although the testimony of the witnesses differs with…