Pearson v. State

R. B. Pearson was indicted by the grand jury of Washington County for the murder of one Fred Johnson Ellis. The trial jury found him guilty of manslaughter and he was sentenced to the penitentiary for eight years. From that judgment, he appealed.

Before 6:00 o’clock A.M. on Sunday, June 21, 1964, Ellis was shot to death on the premises of Rose Oil Company, where he worked as an employee. Otis R. Wilson, who worked at the same place, roomed across the street from the station, about 50 or 60 feet away. About 5:40 that morning he heard a gun shot and a man hollering from the station. He jumped…