Jackson v. State

BOEHM, Justice.

A jury convicted James Jackson of murder and arson as a Class B felony. He was sentenced to consecutive terms of sixty-five years and twenty years, respectively. In this direct appeal, he raises two issue for our review: (1) whether the trial court erred by permitting the State to ask a defense witness about an incident in which she attempted to give Jackson marijuana while visiting him in jail and (2) whether the trial court’s self-defense instruction constitutes fundamental error. We affirm the trial court.

Factual and Procedural Background

On the evening of February 27, 1996,…