JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — The state Court of Appeals has upheld the murder conviction of a Gulf Coast man who was sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of a D’Iberville teenager.
Prosecutors say Ethan Smith shot 16-year-old Eric Wayne Midkiff to death in 2011 because Smith wanted to be alone with a female.
Prosecutors say Smith and several teenagers were in a camper behind his mother’s home. Also present was a girl, 17.
The Appeals Court on Tuesday rejected Smith’s arguments that the shooting was an accident and the trial judge erred in not letting the jury consider a manslaughter charge.
Prosecutors say there were eyewitnesses to the shooting and Smith had gunshot residue on his hands. They say the bullet recovered from Midkiff was fired from Smith’s gun.
