Ricketts v. State

J. Fred Jones, Justice.

Ardell Ricketts was charged with murder in the first degree for the killing of Ward Phillips. He was convicted at a jury trial of murder in the second degree and was sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of five years. The errors he assigns on this appeal are hereafter discussed but first we relate some of the background leading to the difficulty between Ricketts and Phillips.

Ricketts maintained a campsite on the Buffalo River near his home in Newton County about 18 miles down river from Jasper. Ward Phillips used and maintained a campsite formerly owned by his…