Gilchrist v. Commonwealth

This appeal concerns a defendant’s right to discover evidence and have a reasonable time thereafter to prepare for trial.

In a bench trial, Joe Louis Gilchrist was convicted of the first-degree murder of Allen Wade Eddington and sentenced to 30 years in the penitentiary. He also was convicted of breaking and entering in violation of Code § 18.2-91 and unlawful use of a firearm in violation of Code § 18.2-53.1, for which he received sentences of five years and two years, respectively.

Eddington’s body was discovered in the early morning of September 16, 1982, and Gilchrist was arrested later…