State v. Barts

MARTIN, Justice.

On 20 November 1983 the body of Richard Braxton, aged seventy-four, was discovered on the porch of his Alamance County farmhouse. His face and head were battered and covered with blood and both eyes were blackened. An autopsy performed by Dr. Robert Anthony, assistant chief medical examiner for the state, revealed that the victim had suffered at least seven forceful blows to the head which had crushed his skull and caused bone fragments to be driven into his brain. Among numerous bruises and lacerations were defensive wounds on one hand.

Based on information obtained from other…