State v. Swearengin

Defendant appeals from his conviction by a jury of attempted first degree arson, ORS 164.325, ORS 161.405, and assigns as error the trial court’s denial of his motion for directed verdict on the ground that there was insufficient corroboration of his confession.

In his confession, defendant stated that he had shown his wife and one Cheryl Hill how to assemble a simple delayed fuse incendiary device, using a matchbook and a cigarette. The confession states that on March 1, 1977, the defendant drove his wife to the house of Cheryl Hill. Defendant waited outside while his wife entered the house…