Midgett v. State

Midgett (defendant) was convicted of first-degree murder after evidence showed he had repeatedly beaten and choked his eight-year-old son over a period of months, causing bruising documented by his daughter's testimony, and ultimately caused the son's death from an abdominal hemorrhage consistent with blunt force trauma from a fist. Midgett appealed his conviction, arguing the evidence did not show the premeditation and deliberation required for first-degree murder under Arkansas law.