People v. Lewis

Defendant Connie Lewis was indicted and tried for the murder of Robert Broussard. A jury returned a verdict of guilty of voluntary manslaughter and defendant was sentenced to five to 20 years. Defendant appeals contending that the prosecutor’s use of defendant’s post-arrest silence on cross-examination of defendant and direct examination of other witnesses, violated defendant’s right to due process of law; the trial court errorieously instructed the jury on voluntary manslaughter; since the evidence was entirely circumstantial, the trial judge improperly refused to give the second paragraph…