Tatum v. State

Bell, Justice.

The appellant, John Leonard Tatum, was found guilty of the malice murder of his ex-wife, Barbara Ann Tatum. The trial court sentenced Tatum to life in prison. Tatum now appeals. He contends that the trial court erred in denying his request for funds to hire an expert to support his theory that his handgun discharged inadvertently or “hangfired.” He also contends that the trial court erred in not having a court reporter transcribe the voir dire of prospective jurors, and that a state’s expert was erroneously permitted to testify beyond his field of expertise. We affirm.

John and…