People v. Harris

During a heated argument in his car, William Harris (defendant) placed a loaded handgun on his lap pointed at his girlfriend Joyce Baker and made statements she interpreted as death threats; after Harris exited the vehicle and Baker drove off toward a nearby farmhouse, Harris fired the gun, shattering the car's rear window. Harris was charged with attempted murder and aggravated kidnapping, and the trial court instructed the jury it could convict on attempted murder upon finding Harris acted with intent to cause great bodily injury rather than specific intent to kill; he was convicted of attempted murder, acquitted of kidnapping, and appealed.