Wilson v. State

Willie James Wilson, Jr., (appellant) charged with the murder of one Brenda Gorham, and with the use of a handgun in a crime of violence, was convicted by a jury in the Criminal Court of Baltimore of manslaughter and the handgun offense. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of five years imprisonment.

On appeal Wilson contends that the charge of the trial court: (1) imposed upon him an erroneous burden of proof and (2) failed to instruct that conviction of the handgun offense could not occur if the jury found appellant guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

The Court’s Charge as to Burden of Proof

I…