Varner v. State

HUNSTEIN, Presiding Justice.

Charles Edward Varner was convicted of malice murder and other crimes arising out of the shotgun shooting death of Barron Gillespie. He appeals from the denial of his motion for new trial, 1 challenging the sufficiency of the evidence, the propriety of statements made in opening by the prosecutor, the effectiveness of counsel and the giving of a jury instruction on a defendant’s confession. Finding no reversible error, we affirm.

1. The evidence adduced at trial authorized the jury to find that appellant, a convicted felon, made a former girlfriend, Foster, purchase…