Charges dropped to manslaughter
Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 23, 2006
NATCHEZ &8212; Halfway through John Christopher Case&8217;s murder trial Friday, the judge lowered his charges to manslaughter.
Judge Forrest &8220;Al&8221; Johnson said the state&8217;s evidence did not support the murder charges. Johnson made the decision after the prosecution rested, and while the jury was out of the room.
By law, he had to declare Case not guilty of murder and proceed with charges of manslaughter.
To prove murder, the state needed to provide evidence of malice and forethought, Johnson said.
&8220;There appears to be absolutely no evidence of this in this case,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;I&8217;m reluctant to do so, and I have very rarely faced this instance on the bench, but my duty forces me to do so.&8221;
Billy Dean Arnold died from injuries caused by fist blows to the head.
&8220;Where one individual hits another with his fists, that in and of itself has never been held as malice or forethought.&8221;
The original charge from law enforcement was manslaughter, but a grand jury later indicted Case on murder.
A jury found Case not guilty of the lesser charges Friday, the second day of the trial.