Barnes v. Commonwealth

On an indictment for murder, William Barnes was tried by a jury and found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the slaying of Robert Nelson Abbott. In accordance with the verdict, the trial court entered judgment on June 15, 1972, sentencing Barnes to the state penitentiary for five years. We granted a writ of error limited to a consideration of the trial court’s refusal to admit certain testimony concerning Abbott’s alcoholism and his allegedly aggressive behavior when intoxicated.

The uncontradicted evidence shows that on the night of January 2, 1972, Barnes, a nineteen year old high school…