Helton v. State

The defendant, Eugene Helton, was convicted of murder in the first degree for the slaying of Mary Joy Delaney and his punishment fixed at ninety-nine years and a day in the state prison. He has appealed in error here.

The defendant is a man in his early forties and resides in Chattanooga. The record discloses that he is a man of considerable means.

The killing took place on August 23, 1950', about 7 p. m. in the apartment occupied by the deceased and her husband, Marion Delaney. There is no question of self-defense involved but the defendant Helton claims that Delaney, the surviving linsband,…