Baxter v. State

Appellant Walter Baxter was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to death for the killing of Bert 0. Burbanks, town marshal and police chief of DeWitt. Baxter roomed at the home of Mrs. Sally Bittner. On the day of the homicide, he had some trouble with his landlady resulting in a neighbor reporting the disturbance to the police. In response to this call, Burbanks went to the Bittner home and while at the front door he was shot and killed by Baxter.

Baxter claims that he had been persecuted by Bur-banks; that Burbanks had stopped him on numerous occasions without just cause…