Files v. State

The appellant, Mary Jane Files, was indicted on a charge of intentional murder.1 She was found guilty at trial of the lesser offense of criminally negligent homicide. The trial court sentenced her to 12 months in the county jail.

The State's evidence tended to show the following: Mary Jane Files was the sole beneficiary under the will of her aunt, Juanita Jones. She also was the beneficiary of several insurance policies, annuities, and certificates of deposit owned by her aunt. In March 1996, Files was appointed Jones's conservator and guardian. She moved Jones into her home and, with the help…