People v. Gayton

Defendant was convicted by a jury of murder in the second degree and was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison. He appeals as of right.

There is no marked dispute about the facts of this case. On the afternoon of November 15, 1975, several people had gathered together to socialize at 410 Central Street in Pontiac, Michigan. Among them were the defendant and the decedent, Mr. Willard Washington. At some point in time the defendant and the decedent began discussing an incident that had occurred the previous night and which had involved the defendant and the decedent’s son, Jimmy Leroy Washington.