Bevills v. State

John I. Purtle, Justice.

Appellant J. D. Bevills was charged with murder in the second degree in the Circuit Court of Cross County, Arkansas. A jury trial on February 14, 1978, resulted in appellant being convicted of the reduced charge of manslaughter and fixed his punishment at a sentence of five (5) years’ imprisonment in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

At the close of all the evidence, the appellant moved for a directed verdict upon the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to allow the question to be presented to the jury. The question presented on appeal was whether the…