Early v. State

On the morning of July 20, 1979, the defendant and two companions forced their way into the home of Benny and Carrie Ragsdale Dunn. The three men bound and gagged the elderly couple and beat them demanding to know where they kept their money "stashed". After ransacking the house, the trio left taking with them a total of two dollars. Thirteen days later, Mrs. Dunn died from causes initiated by the beating. For his part in these crimes, the defendant was indicted and convicted for the first degree murder of Mrs. Dunn. Sentence was life imprisonment.

I

Initially, the defendant contends that…