Woods v. State

OPINION

By the Court,

Gunderson, L:

Appellant Cathy Woods was convicted of first-degree murder in the slaying of Michelle Mitchell and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Because we consider that certain evidentiary rulings of the district court precluded appellant from receiving a fair trial, we reverse her conviction.

The record reflects the following facts. On the evening of February 24, 1976, Michelle Mitchell’s car broke down near the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno, and she telephoned her mother to ask for a ride home. Mitchell’s mother left…