Torrence v. Commonwealth

MEMORANDUM OPINION OF THE COURT

A jury found Lawrence Torrence guilty of rape in the first degree and sodomy in the first degree and recommended a cumulative forty-year sentence. After the trial judge sentenced him in accordance with the jury’s recommendation, Torrence filed this matter-of-right appeal. 1

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY.

Torrence’s appeal raises three issues related to the trial of his case that he argues require reversal of his convictions. First, he contends that the Commonwealth engaged in prosecutorial misconduct when it called him an “admitted felon” during its closing…