State v. Ross

Littlejohn, Justice:

Lucille B. Ross was tried for the murder of Jackson Sprouse. She admitted the killing and pleaded self-defense. Following a jury verdict against her, she appealed, alleging errors in the admission of evidence and in the charge to the jury.

The events surrounding Sprouse’s death are not disputed: Janice Brookshire and her brother-in-law, Buddy Mackey, were engaged in a fight in a tavern parking lot.. The decedent, who was Janice’s estranged husband, pulled Janice away from Buddy and began kicking her. The defendant intervened to protect her sister, Janice. At some time after…