State of Tennessee v. William Binkley

A Rutherford County jury convicted the defendant, William Binkley, of criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder and reckless endangerment in connection with the shooting of the defendant's former girlfriend. The trial court sentenced the defendant as a Range I standard offender to 23 years in the Department of Correction for the attempted first-degree murder conviction and to two years for the reckless endangerment conviction. The sentences were ordered to be served consecutively for an effective sentence of 25 years. Primarily aggrieved that he was not allowed to offer expert testimony about his mental responsibility, the defendant appeals the trial court's evidentiary ruling. Secondarily, he questions the sufficiency of the evidence, and he complains that all relevant lesser-included offenses were not included in the jury instructions. Based upon our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.