People v. Alsteens

Defendant appeals from a jury conviction of second-degree murder1 for which he received a sentence of life imprisonment. The facts and circumstances involved will be presented, followed by a seriatim discussion of the four issues raised on appeal.

Defendant testified to events leading up to and following the shooting death of Police Officer Kenneth Moraska in Norway, Michigan during the early hours of Sunday, May 23, 1971. His testimony revealed the difficulties he had encountered in holding a job, the strained relationship with his wife, and his previous experiences and hallucina*470tions from…