An appeals court has upheld the murder conviction of a 71-year-old South Bend man.
Michael Young was found guilty of murder last summer after he shot and killed 27-year-old Markest Flowers in downtown South Bend, thinking that Flowers stole money from a female friend of his.
Young claims he killed Flowers in self defense after claiming he felt threatened. No money was ever found on Flowers.
In his appeal, Young claimed the state shouldn’t have tried to paint Flowers in a sympathetic light because the stated showed Bibles he had in his possession and Bible verses Flowers had written on his shoes to the jury. Young also claims the state tried to claim the shooting was racially motivated.
The appeals court determined there were no errors made in the trial.
