Ex Parte Johnson

Following a jury trial in the Macon County Circuit Court, defendant was convicted of murder and was sentenced to thirty-five years' imprisonment. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed that conviction, and the defendant petitioned this Court for a writ of certiorari, which was granted.

The conviction arose from the killing of Jessie Stafford on July 18, 1981, outside a nightclub in Hardaway, Alabama. Stafford drove up to the club in his truck. The defendant was outside the club in the parking lot when Stafford arrived. Defendant went over to the truck briefly, then returned to his own car. He…