Stokes v. State

Tom Glaze, Justice.

Appellant Lee Stokes was convicted on one count of murder and two counts of first-degree battery. Stokes was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder and ten years’ imprisonment for each of the battery convictions, to run concurrent with the fife sentence. On appeal, Stokes does not challenge the sufficiency of the State’s evidence leading to his convictions, but instead argues that the trial court erred in denying his Batson challenge to the prosecution’s peremptory strike exercised against African-American veniremen.

During voir dire, the State used…