Commonwealth v. Spriggs

OPINION OF THE COURT

NIX, Justice.

Appellant, Ralph G. Spriggs, was tried before a judge and jury on charges of murder and armed robbery and was convicted of murder in second degree and armed robbery. After post-trial motions were denied by the court en banc, appellant was sentenced to undergo a term of imprisonment of 8 to 20 years on the murder conviction. Sentence on the armed robbery conviction was suspended. This direct appeal followed.1

The Commonwealth’s evidence at trial adduced the following facts. On January 23, 1970, Walter Olen was shot and killed in a real estate office which he…