Powell v. State

Hill, Justice.

The defendant, Myrtice Powell, was convicted of • murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. On appeal to this court she contends in her first enumeration of error that the trial judge failed to instruct the jury, without request, that her sanity must be proven by the state beyond a reasonable doubt.

On June 22, 1974, a Saturday, at about 4:30 in the afternoon, defendant ran out of her apartment, came up behind Mr. and Mrs. Thornton who were passing by, and, reaching around Mr. Thornton, stabbed Mrs. Thornton in her heart. The defendant and her husband had known and visited…