Shockley v. State

Petitioner Gilbert Shockley was convicted in 1983 of rape, aggravated robbery, burglary and theft of property and sentenced as an habitual offender with three prior felony convictions to two terms of life imprisonment, thirty years and twenty years. The sentences were ordered served consecutively.

Petitioner argued on appeal that the State failed to meet its burden of proving that he had been convicted of three prior felonies. He conceded that the State proved that he had been convicted of robbery in 1975 and burglary and battery in 1977, but noted that pursuant to Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-1001(3)…