State v. Spivey

The defendant is black. He stands convicted after a jury trial in the Superior Court of four charges, three of which relate to the assault with a dangerous weapon, the kidnap, and the rape, of a white female. The remaining charge concerns the assault of a male whose identity and connection with this case, at this point, are a mystery to us. In his appeal the defendant challenges the procedure involved in the selection of the jury and the severity of his sentences. The trial justice imposed consecutive sentences — 35 years for the rape, 10 years for the kidnapping, and 5 years each on the…