State v. Pickering

WINANS, Justice.

In an information filed in the Circuit Court of Minnehaha County, the defendant, Patrick Pickering, and James Nelson were conjointly charged with the murder of Wayne Sherwood. The defendant was tried separately from Nelson before a jury in Davison County. The jury found the defendant guilty and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. From the judgment of conviction the defendant appeals.

In summary, the following facts are relevant to an understanding of this appeal: On October 4, 1971, the defendant, James Nelson, and Wayne Sherwood were inmates at the South Dakota State…