Pennie v. State

Thompson, Justice.

A jury found Demetrice Lachelle Pennie guilty of malice and felony murder in the shooting death of her paramour, Edward Charles Pittman. She was sentenced to life in prison for malice murder.1 Because we conclude that Pennie was deprived of her constitutional right to the courts when certain communications took place with a juror outside her presence and in the absence of a waiver, we reverse.

Viewed in a light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence showed that Pennie was employed by the victim as a freelance computer consultant. Pennie soon began having an affair with…