Edwards v. State

Weltner, Justice.

Bruce Mathis, an off-duty police officer acting as a security guard, was shot and killed in a department store. Charles James Edwards was found guilty of the crime of malice murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.1

Shortly before closing time, Mathis entered a storage area of the store that was restricted to all but department store employees. When Mathis approached the area, he was shot three times. The assailant escaped without detection. Edwards was arrested several months later and charged with the murder.

1. The evidence was sufficient to enable a rational trier of…