Welch v. State

George Rose Smith, Justice.

On the night of June 1, 1975, three armed men — Winston Holloway, Gary Don Campbell, and the appellant Ray Lee Welch — entered the Leather Bottle, a Little Rock restaurant, after closing hours but when five employees were still on the premises. According to the State’s proof, the intruders committed robbery and raped the two women who were there.

The three men were jointly charged with robbery and two counts of rape, all three offenses having been committed with a firearm. At a joint trial all three men were convicted, with sentences of life imprisonment for each of…