Branch v. State

ISHEE, J.,

for the Court:

MODIFIED OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING

¶ 1. The motion for rehearing is denied. We withdraw our original opinion and substitute this modified opinion.

¶ 2. Jacob Simmons died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head in the early morning hours of April 23, 2009. William Austin Branch was indicted by an Attala County grand jury for Simmons’s murder and was later tried in the Attala County Circuit Court. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). Aggrieved, Branch now appeals on numerous grounds. We…