Harris v. State

James Otis Harris was indicted for and convicted of the "attempted murder" of Richard Stone, by shooting him with a rifle. After a sentencing hearing, and pursuant to the Alabama Habitual Felony Offender Act, the trial court sentenced the appellant, James Otis Harris, to life imprisonment without parole.

On April 11, 1980, while working "undercover" on a narcotics investigation, Richard Stone, Jr., an officer with the Birmingham Police Department, was shot in the back with a rifle as he sat in his unmarked vehicle a few houses down from the appellant's home.

Although there was evidence to the…