Ratcliffe v. State

OPINION

ODOM, Judge.

This appeal is from a conviction by the trial court for murder with malice, the state having waived the death penalty; the punishment was assessed at 20 years.

Appellant claims two grounds of error. He first contends that “the judgment and sentence of twenty years is contrary to the law and evidence” in that the evidence and findings fail to reflect malice.

The evidence reflects that on December 21, 1968, at approximately 10:00 P. M., the deceased, Hattie Ratcliffe, also known as Hattie Codaree, was drinking beer with Eva Beatrice Willis at the Cozy Nook, in Houston, when the…