Johnson v. State

Charles Johnson, the appellant, was convicted of three counts of assault in the second degree and was sentenced to three consecutive terms of 20 years' imprisonment. On this direct appeal from that conviction, he argues that he should have been permitted to impeach the credibility of a State witness by showing that the witness had a prior conviction for assault in the second degree. We agree, and we hold that the crime of assault in the second degree as defined by Ala. Code 1975, §13A-6-21, constitutes a crime involving "moral turpitude."

A witness may be impeached by showing that he has been…