Haynes v. State

This appeal concerns the penalty stage of the trial of EDWARD LOUIS HAYNES on a criminal charge in the Circuit Court for Talbot County. Haynes does not question the propriety of the guilt stage of the proceedings. When the case came on for trial on 14 March 1973, he judicially confessed to assaulting and beating Harvey E. Smith. 1 The trial court, satisfied ' after inquiry that the plea was constitutionally voluntary, accepted it and rendered a verdict of guilty. On 19 April, after a presentence investigation report had been presented to the court, a sentence of 3 years was imposed. This…