Hughes v. State

George Rose Smith, Justice.

Charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Jason Crutchfield, the appellant was found guilty of second-degree murder and received the maximum sentence, 21 years. His principal argument for reversal is that the court should have submitted the issue of self-defense to the jury.

The court was right in refusing to submit that issue. We find no substantial evidence from which the jury could have found that Hughes acted in self-defense. According to the State’s eyewitnesses, the homicide occurred in a pool hall, during the daytime. Hughes was the aggressor,…