Fortson v. State

— Appellant Fortson and two others were charged by information with the shooting death of Ralph Benjamin in Terre Haute. After the trial court granted a motion for a separate trial, appellant was tried to a jury in Vigo Circuit Court. On April 2, 1977, appellant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The evidence against the appellant consisted primarily of an accomplice’s testimony. The accomplice, Eddie Lewis, named appellant as his partner in the crime and testified in detail as to the murder in question.

Fortson argues five errors in the proceedings of his…