State of Tennessee v. Sedrick Williams

Following a jury trial, Defendant, Sedrick Williams, was found guilty of one count of first degree murder and one count of attempt to commit first degree murder. The trial court sentenced Defendant to life imprisonment for the first degree murder conviction. Following a sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced Defendant to twenty-five years imprisonment for the attempted first degree murder conviction, and ordered his sentence for attempted first degree murder to run concurrently with his sentence for first degree murder. On appeal Defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions. Specifically, Defendant contends that the jury misapplied the law in rejecting his defense of self-defense, and the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he acted with premeditation. Defendant also argues that the trial court's charge to the jury on flight, coupled with prosecutorial misconduct during closing argument, denied Defendant a fair trial. Defendant does not appeal his sentences. After a careful review of the record in this matter, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.