Jeremy Underwood a/k/a Jeremy H. Underwood a/k/a Jeremy Hawkins Underwood v. State of Mississippi

Summary

The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed Underwood’s manslaughter conviction, holding that the evidence permitted the jury to reject his self-defense and Castle Doctrine claims and that the verdict was neither unsupported nor against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. The court also held that Underwood’s prosecutorial-misconduct claims were procedurally barred because he failed to object and, alternatively, that the challenged comments did not constitute reversible error. The court concluded that the prosecutor could argue the factual principle underlying prearming instructions even though such instructions are no longer used.