Robinson v. State

George Rose Smith, Justice.

The appellant’s first trial upon a murder charge resulted in a hung jury. At a second trial he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to imprisonment for one year. Officer Vonnie Taylor had testified at the first trial, but he was not available at the second. The defense sought to introduce Officer Taylor’s earlier testimony, but the court excluded parts of it as hearsay. Asserted error in that ruling is now relied upon for reversal.

Officer Taylor investigated the homicide, which occurred in a cafe in Conway. The number and type of weapons…