Jimmy Don Hall v. Ira Kelso, Warden

KRAVITCH, Circuit Judge:

Jimmy Don Hall is currently serving a life sentence for felony murder. At his trial, the judge instructed the jury that the “acts of a person of sound mind and discretion are presumed to be the product of the person’s will.” Taken in the context of the entire jury instructions, we find that a reasonable juror could have applied that presumption in deciding whether Hall had the requisite criminal intent, and thus violated his constitutional right that the state be required to prove every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, we reverse the…