Legal Opinion
Zigta v. Commonwealth
Court of Appeals of Virginia
Decided April 23, 2002No. 0145014PublishedCited by 14 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
AGEE, Judge.
Rezene Mehart Zigta (Zigta) was convicted in the Arlington County Circuit Court of rape, in violation of Code § 18.2-61, pursuant to an Alford 1 guilty plea. He was sentenced to serve a fifteen-year term of imprisonment. On appeal he contends the trial court erred by refusing to allow him to withdraw his plea prior to sentencing. For the following reasons, we affirm the decision of the trial court.
I. BACKGROUND
Zigta, an Eritrean citizen, was indicted for the rape of a six-year-old child. He originally pleaded “not guilty,” but withdrew his plea prior to trial and entered an Alford…
2Cases cited32 opinions
- Boykin v. AlabamaSupreme Court of the United States · 1969
- North Carolina v. AlfordSupreme Court of the United States · 1970
- People v. FordNew York Court of Appeals · 1995
- Joseph F. Cuthrell v. Director, Patuxent InstitutionCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 1973
- State v. JimenezCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas · 1999
27 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by14 opinions
- Carroll v. Com.Supreme Court of Virginia · 2010
- Parson v. CarrollSupreme Court of Virginia · 2006
- Cobbins v. CommonwealthCourt of Appeals of Virginia · 2008
- Williams v. CommonwealthCourt of Appeals of Virginia · 2011
- Commonwealth v. MohamedArlington County Circuit Court · 2006
9 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.