Needham v. State

The jury found the appellant guilty of rape and imposed the death penalty. This appeal is from a judgment entered upon the verdict.

The crime occurred several hours after midnight on April 10, 1949. The prosecutrix, an eight-year-old girl, had been put to bed at home. She testified that when she awoke she was in a car with a man. He stopped the car in a deserted street and put her in the back seat. He then removed her panties, opened his trousers and got on top of her. The child did not specifically describe the act of penetration but did say that the man was hurting her and that she was…