Spillman v. Commonwealth

DAVIS, Commissioner.

A jury found Johnnie Lee Spillman guilty of voluntary manslaughter and fixed his punishment at imprisonment for fifteen years. Spillman attacks the judgment of conviction, asserting that (1) the court erroneously permitted evidence of custodial confessions of the accused obtained without prior constitutional warnings; (2) appellant was prejudiced because no examining trial was afforded; (3) the court improperly rejected evidence offered by appellant; and (4) the court erred in refusing an instruction offered by appellant.

Hershel Jobe was the homicide victim. Jobe and…