''Rader v. State'', 73 Tenn. 610 (1880), was a

case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...

decided by the

Tennessee Supreme Court The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Roger A. Page is the Chief Justice. Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state le ...

that held that to fulfill requirement of deliberation for

first degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

the purpose to kill may be formed a mere moment before the act, but deliberation does require some length of time for cool reflection free from excitement or passion. W.H. Rader killed W.T. Thomas in December 1879 in

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in the State of Tennessee. Located in Sullivan County, its population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The ...

in a store owned by J.M. Barker. Rader and Thomas worked together in Barker's store, and there was a dispute over a 30¢ box of shirt collars Rader had asked Thomas to give him on credit. The two fought with knives, and Rader fatally wounded Thomas on the neck, in full view of witnesses. Rader was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He appealed on a number of bases, and obtained a new trial because the Supreme Court found that the State had failed to prove the deliberation and premeditation required to sustain a conviction for first degree murder.

References

{{reflist United States murder case law 1880 in United States case law Murder in Tennessee Tennessee state case law 1880 in Tennessee Bristol, Tennessee Murder trials in the United States Trials in Tennessee