James Bell v. State Indiana

Appellant James Bell was convicted of the second-degree murder of his wife, Inez, by a jury in Miami Circuit Court, and sentenced to a term of fifteen to twenty-five years. The murder occurred on the evening of April 19, 1976, shortly after both appellant and decedent arrived home for supper. During a disagreement about what they were going to have for supper, the couple began an argument during which they called each other derogatory names. Appellant went to the back part of the house, and returned with a gun. Inez turned and walked toward the back door, at which point the gun in appellants hand "went off." The only witness to these events was the thirteen-year-old daughter of the Bells, Ramona. After the shooting, appellant and Ramona went