Hutchins v. Commonwealth

Indicted upon two counts of statutory burglary and two counts of grand larceny, the defendant, John Michael Hutchins, was convicted by a jury and, in accordance with the verdicts, was sentenced to serve a term of 5 years in the penitentiary on each count. On appeal, the defendant’s sole claim of error concerns the closing argument of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

The record shows that on April 18, 1978, the defendant and several companions, all residents of the Roanoke area, journeyed to Smith Mountain Lake in Franklin County, where the burglaries and larcenies took place. Several days later,…