Reese v. State

The appellant, Leotis Reese, was convicted of assault in the first degree, a violation of § 13A-6-20, Code of Alabama 1975. The victim was his wife. He was sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary.

At trial, the state's attorney placed the victim on the stand. She testified that a girl from Florida had beaten her, and that her husband, the appellant, was innocent. The state sought to treat the victim as a hostile witness, so that it could ask leading questions, and the court ruled that the victim could be treated as a hostile witness. The state produced two witnesses who impeached the…