O'Connell v. State

Thompson, Chief Justice.

Appellant Catherine O’Connell was sentenced to life in prison for the malice murder of her adoptive mother.1 She appeals, contending the trial court erred by denying her Batson2 challenge and granting a motion in limine to bar hearsay evidence of abuse she allegedly suffered in Guatemala. Finding no error, we affirm.

1. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, we find the following: The victim adopted appellant from a Guatemalan orphanage when appellant was eleven years old. A few years later, the victim adopted a second daughter, Brenda, from…