Fletcher v. State

GIVAN, Judge.

After several delays and over the objection of appellant’s counsel on the ground that appellant had fled the jurisdiction and was unavailable, appellant was tried in ab-sentia by a jury on April 2, 1984. He was found guilty of Rape, a Class A, felony, and because of his prior criminal record was given an aggravated sentence of fifty (50) years.

The facts are: At approximately 7:00 a.m. on May 21, 1982, appellant, who was the victim’s neighbor, knocked on the victim’s door and stated that he needed to use her telephone to call a doctor for his girlfriend. After using the telephone,…