State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. John Lee Briley, III, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed the conviction of John Lee Briley for manslaughter and atrocious assault and battery, holding that his wife was a competent and compellable witness on the murder charge despite the marital privilege rule. The Court also found that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to sever the counts and that the evidence supported the aggravated assault conviction.