State of Tennessee v. William Darnell Britton

The Davidson County Grand Jury indicted the Defendant, William Darnell Britton, for one count of first-degree premeditated murder. Thereafter, a jury convicted the Defendant of the lesser included offense of second-degree murder, and the trial court sentenced him to eighteen years at one hundred percent in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the Defendant argues the trial court committed reversible error (1) in allowing the prosecutor to cross-examine him about his inflammatory rap lyrics and videos and (2) in its jury instructions. After review, we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting evidence of the Defendant’s rap lyrics/videos and that this error was not harmless. We also conclude that the trial court erred in failing to instruct on “first aggressor proof” in conjunction with the self-defense instruction and that this error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, we reverse the Defendant’s conviction for second-degree murder and remand this case to the trial court for a new trial.