People v. Powell

Defendant Elijah Powell was convicted by a jury on February 17, 1977, of second-degree murder, MCL 750.317; MSA 28.549. The trial involved the killing of one Christal Davis, whose burned torso, absent head and limbs, was discovered in a Washtenaw County park on October 3, 1975. Defendant was sentenced to a term of 80 to 120 years imprisonment, appeals as of right, and questions several evidentiary rulings by the court below.

Defendant alleges that the court erroneously permitted a witness to identify the defendant in court where the only prior out-of-court identification was at a photographic…