Watson v. State

COLE, Judge.

We granted certiorari in this case to decide whether the trial judge erred in concluding that he had no discretion to exclude the defendant’s prior attempted rape conviction when it was offered for impeachment purposes notwithstanding the fact that the judge found that the conviction’s probative value was outweighed by its prejudicial effect.

The parties have agreed to the following facts. James Watson was charged in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County with rape and lesser included offenses. Prior to his jury trial, Watson asked the court to rule on whether his 1982 Virginia…