IN the COURT of CRIMINAL APPEALS of TENNESSEE at KNOXVILLE September 24, 2002 Session
IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT KNOXVILLE September 24, 2002 Session STATE OF TENNESSEE v. BYRON LOOPER Direct Appeal from the Criminal Court for Cumberland County No. 5346 J. Steven Daniel, Judge No. E2001-01550-CCA-R3-CD February 3, 2003 The defendant, Byron Looper, was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He timely appealed, presenting as issues: (1) the trial court erred in excluding the testimony of witnesses who would have testified as to his location following the homicide, violating his right to due process; (2) the trial court erred in keeping under seal the psychological records of one of the State’s witnesses; and (3) the evidence did not support application of the aggravating factor that the homicide was committed because the victim was a state official. Following our review, we affirm the conviction and the imposition of life without the possibility of parole. Tenn. R. App. P. 3 Appeal as of Right; Judgment of the Criminal Court Affirmed ALAN E. GLENN, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which GARY R. WADE, P.J., and JOSEPH M. TIPTON, J., joined. John E. Herbison, Nashville, Tennessee (on appeal); McCracken Poston, Chattanooga, Tennessee (at trial); and Ron Cordova, Newport Beach, California (at trial), for the appellant, Byron Looper. Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Mark E. Davidson, Assistant Attorney General; William E. Gibson, District Attorney General; and David A. Patterson and Anthony J. Craighead, Assistant District Attorneys General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee. OPINION To the extent possible, we will review the evidence in an order which is chronological to the offense.
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