Court Opinion

ID: 1075777
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2013-10-09 20:16:20.267378+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:50:25.546489
License: Public Domain

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
                          AT NASHVILLE
                       August 14, 2001 Session

            STATE OF TENNESSEE v. ERNEST EDWARD WILSON

                 Direct Appeal from the Criminal Court for Davidson County
                                       NO . 98-D-2474

                  NO . M2000-01997-CCA-R3-CD - FILED OCTOBER 17, 2001

James Curwood Witt, Jr., J., concurring and dissenting.

                Although I agree with Judge Welles that it is problematic to use voluntary
manslaughter as the intermediate offense for the purposes of applying the Williams harmless error
rule, I concur with Judge Riley in affirming the conviction, based on the facts of the present case and
the defendant’s use of those facts in formulating a theory of defense. Given the facts, the defendant’s
theory of defense, and the jury’s verdict of second-degree murder, I conclude that the failure to
charge the included offenses lesser than voluntary manslaughter was harmless error.

                                                       ___________________________________
                                                       James Curwood Witt, Jr., Judge