ARK.] WALKER V. STATE 421 MAGGIE WALKER v. STATE OF ARKANSAS 5470 451 S. W. 2d 727 Opinion delivered March 30, 1970 HOMICIDE-VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER-SELF-DEFENSE QUESTION FOR JURY. — Issue of self-defense to homicide charge held a fact question for the jury. Appeal from Columbia Circuit Court, Harry Crum-p/er, Judge; affirmed. Harkness, Friedman & Kusin, for appellant. Joe Purcell, Attorney General; Don Langston and Mike Wilson, Asst. Attys. Gen., for appellee. CONLEY BYRD, Justice. A jury found appellant Mag-gie Walker guilty of voluntary manslaughter and fixed her punishment at five years in the penitentiary. For reversal of the judgment upon the verdict, appellant argues that the trial court erred in not dismissing the charges against her because her actions were in self-defense and for her own protection. We find no merit in appellant's argument. The record shows that H. D. Hughes, the ex-husband of Mary Hughes, was corresponding with both appellant and the decedent Norene Hatter. Immediately prior to the shooting a commotion occurred when
422 [248 H. D. Hughes tried to get his drunk son to go home. About the time that Mary Hughes, the boy's mother, started trying to get him home, a fight started between appellant Maggie Walker and Norene Hatter. Appellant's version is that when she got even with decedent, the decedent grabbed her dress, started stabbing at her with a knife, and said, "Bitch if you don't kill me g . . .d . . . I'm going to kill you." Decedent kept on stabbing, so appellant commenced shooting to protect herself. Other witnesses stated that appellant started the fight. Alton Hodnett said that when appellant came out of Al's Cafe, she walked up behind decedent and hit her, and that when decedent turned around, he heard four or five shots. Dr. Scott McMahen testified that decedent died of three gun shot wounds in the abdomen. The issue. of self-defense was a fact question for the jury. Affirmed.
You are being directed to the most recent version of the statute which may not be the version considered at the time of the judgment.