State v. Gates

Littlejohn, Justice.

The appellant, Richard N. Gates (Gates) was convicted, by a jury, of armed robbery and began serving a sentence. Three months later, he filed pro se an application for post-conviction relief. The judge who heard the application denied his petition. The case is now on appeal from both the jury conviction 1 , and the denial of post-conviction relief. 2

The facts incident to the happening which brought about the indictment and conviction are not greatly in dispute. At about 8:30 in the evening of September 18, 1974, Gates and his codefendant Hall (who pled guilty) drove into…