Eddie Minor, III v. State of Mississippi, 236 So. 3d 63

On Dec. 29, 2014, 16‑year‑old Jessie Taylor Jr. was shot in the back in Natchez and later died; he told officers two black males had robbed and shot him.
Eight shell casings were recovered (one 9mm separate from seven 9mm casings); a .380 Lorcin pistol was recovered nearby with mixed ammunition; a .38/.9mm bullet was recovered from Taylor.
Witness Emanuel “Little Carl” Latham (15) gave statements and testified that Eddie Minor (18) retrieved two guns, pointed a revolver at Taylor, demanded money and Taylor’s gun, and shot as Taylor fled; Latham admitted he also fired until his magazine emptied.
Another witness (Keterria) placed Minor with Taylor shortly before the shooting but did not see Minor with a gun; some testimony contained inconsistencies among witnesses.
Minor was tried twice: first trial ended in mistrial on a deadlocked jury; second trial resulted in conviction of armed robbery (35 years) and mistrial on murder; State nolle prosequi’d the murder charge.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Sufficiency of the evidence for armed robbery	State: Latham’s testimony + corroboration (victim’s statements, Keterria) prove Minor demanded property at gunpoint and used a deadly weapon	Minor: testimony contradictory and insufficient; accomplice testimony unreliable	Affirmed — evidence sufficient when viewed in light most favorable to prosecution
Weight of the evidence — whether verdict is against overwhelming weight	State: jury could credit Latham and other testimony; inconsistencies go to credibility	Minor: verdict against overwhelming weight given contradicting accounts and jury deadlock on murder	Affirmed — verdict not so contrary to overwhelming weight as to constitute injustice
Accomplice corroboration required	State: slight corroboration suffices to support conviction	Minor: argues accomplice testimony unreliable and should be discounted	Court: accomplice testimony may convict if not unreasonable/improbable and with slight corroboration; corroboration here exists
Relationship between robbery conviction and mistrial on murder	Minor: inconsistent to convict for robbery but not murder based on same testimony	State: jurors can credit different parts of testimony; Latham’s admitted firing could explain jury’s indecision on who caused death	Court: no inconsistency that requires reversal; jury reasonably could acquit/declare mistrial on murder while convicting on robbery

Bush v. State, 895 So. 2d 836 (Miss. 2005) (standard for reviewing sufficiency and weight of evidence)
Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979) (benchmark: whether any rational trier of fact could find guilt beyond reasonable doubt)
Graves v. State, 216 So. 3d 1152 (Miss. 2016) (a single witness’s testimony can support conviction)
Johns v. State, 592 So. 2d 86 (Miss. 1991) (accomplice testimony viewed with caution but can suffice)
Jones v. State, 203 So. 3d 600 (Miss. 2016) (only slight corroboration of accomplice testimony required)
Duncan v. State, 939 So. 2d 772 (Miss. 2006) (inconsistencies in testimony do not mandate rejecting testimony)
Clanton v. State, 279 So. 2d 599 (Miss. 1973) (jury resolves witness credibility)
Cousar v. State, 855 So. 2d 993 (Miss. 2003) (credibility and weighing conflicting evidence are for the jury)
Kirk v. State, 160 So. 3d 685 (Miss. 2015) (reversal for weight-of-evidence only if verdict sanctions unconscionable injustice)
Cotton v. State, 144 So. 3d 137 (Miss. 2014) (reasonable jurors must be impossible to find guilt to overturn on weight grounds)