State v. Burton

| defendant William Burton was charged with armed robbery and aggravated burglary subsequent to a Caddo Parish home invasion committed on March 19, 1979. The case was tried before a jury in February 1980, but the defendant fled during the course of the trial. The jury convicted Burton of both offenses in absentia.

Burton was a fugitive for 30 years; the next entry in the appellate record is in 2010. In December 2010, the trial court sentenced Burton to serve maximum consecutive sentences, and Burton appealed his convictions and sentences to this Court.

During the pendency of this appeal, Burton…