Washington v. Commonwealth

Wilbert Washington, Jr., was charged with forgery of a check. On his plea of not guilty he was tried and convicted by the trial court, sitting without a jury, and sentenced to serve three years in the penitentiary, with one year of the sentence suspended upon Washington’s good behavior for five years. The sole question for our determination in this appeal is whether the trial court committed reversible error in admitting into evidence, over objection, an incriminating statement signed by Washington.

On August 11, 1972, Martha Ann Broyles, secretary at Earl’s Food Market in Stafford County,…