Belton v. State

Benham, Chief Justice.

William Jamar Belton appeals his convictions for malice murder, theft by taking of a motor vehicle, and burglary. The State adduced evidence at trial to establish the following matters of fact. The 84-year-old victim was found dead in her home by a family member. Her house had been forcibly entered through a window, she had been violently strangled, the house had been ransacked, and the victim’s car was missing. Shoe prints from the scene were matched to shoes recovered from Belton’s Pennsylvania residence after his arrest there for burglary. His fingerprints were on…