State v. Marrs

NEELY, Justice:

Appellant, a black man, was convicted by a jury on two counts of selling marijuana to undercover police officers. The prosecution’s witnesses were four police officers and one informant, all of whom were white. The jury venire contained two blacks, one of whom was struck for cause because he was a neighbor and former teacher of defendant. The prosecution’s evidence consisted of testimony from the officers and the informant who bought a total of eight marijuana cigarettes from a black male in the city of Bluefield. The prosecution exercised a peremptory strike against Paul…