Harrell v. Mississippi
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A jury convicted Christopher Harrell of two crimes: felony murder, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Circuit Court sentenced Harrell to life without the possibility of parole and ten years, to run concurrently with the life sentence, for the possession charge. The Court of Appeals affirmed both convictions. Harrell raised four issues on direct appeal, but the Supreme Court addressed only two: (1) whether the circuit court erred in not instructing the jury on the elements of the underlying felony of robbery; and (2) whether the circuit court erred in granting the State’s requested flight instruction. The Court held that the failure to instruct the jury as to the elements of the charged crime deprived Harrell of due process in the form of his right to a jury trial, but that the circuit court did not err in granting the flight instruction.
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