Harris v. State

Arson, second degree; sentence: eight years imprisonment.

Around 2:00 A.M. on November 20, 1976, the Lauderdale County Jail caught on fire and was substantially damaged. The defendant, who was a prisoner in the jail at that time, was indicted, tried, and convicted for willfully setting fire to the jail.

The State's case was based largely on circumstantial evidence. The appellant made timely motions to exclude the State's evidence at the conclusion of the State's case and again at the end of the trial contending, inter alia, that the State failed to make out a prima facie case against the…