State v. Johnston

— The defendant, Curtis Earl Johnston, appeals from a conviction of first-degree murder. We affirm the conviction.

On October 23, 1972, Mr. John Wylie was fatally shot while sitting in his home in Walla Walla County, Washington. The defendant was charged with the crime and entered a plea of not guilty. He refused to permit interposition of a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Although the defendant took the stand at trial and denied shooting Mr. Wylie, the evidence produced by the State overwhelmingly established his guilt.

Briefly stated, the evidence revealed that a few days before the…