Tyler Edward Tait v. State of Arkansas

Summary

The court affirmed Tait’s second-degree-murder conviction, holding that substantial evidence supported the jury’s finding that he caused Kinsey’s death by strangulation. It also held that the circuit court properly instructed the jury on second-degree murder because the evidence supplied a rational basis for the lesser-included offense, and that the court did not abuse its discretion in denying a new trial based on alleged juror misconduct. The court vacated the court of appeals’ opinion because review caused the appeal to be considered as though originally filed in the supreme court.