Cite as 2018 Ark. 333
SUPREME COURT OF ARKANSAS
No. CR-18-161
| CHRISTOPHER AARON SCHNARR
APPELLANT
V. STATE OF ARKANSAS
APPELLEE
|
Opinion Delivered: November 29, 2018
APPEAL FROM THE PULASKI COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT [NO. 60CR-13-2176] HONORABLE J. LEON JOHNSON, JUDGE REVERSED AND REMANDED. |
KAREN R. BAKER, Associate Justice
In 2014, appellant, Christopher Aaron Schnarr, was tried for first-degree murder in the death of Arista Aldridge. The jury was unable to reach a verdict, and the circuit court granted a mistrial. Schnarr was tried for a second time in 2015, and the jury convicted him of manslaughter and sentenced him to ten years' imprisonment. Schnarr appealed. We recount the facts from our opinion in that appeal, Schnarr v. State, 2017 Ark. 10 (Schnarr I) as follows:
The record reflects that on Saturday, May 11, 2013, Schnarr was driving from North Little Rock when he exited Interstate 30 at Sixth Street and almost collided with a tan SUV that did not yield the right of way. The victim, Arista Aldridge, was the driver of the tan SUV, which was also occupied by Aldridge's girlfriend, Alice Bryant, and their son. As the vehicles drove parallel to one another down the street, Schnarr and Aldridge exchanged profanities and hand gestures through their opened windows. Schnarr turned right onto Sixth Street and into the outside lane. The tan SUV followed in the inside lane of Sixth Street and then pulled in front of Schnarr's vehicle and abruptly stopped. Aldridge, who was not armed, emerged from the SUV and approached Schnarr's vehicle. According to Schnarr, Aldridge was yelling and waving his arms around, and Aldridge also poked Schnarr in the face with his finger. Witnesses to the altercation testified that Aldridge backed away from Schnarr's vehicle.
