Harward v. Commonwealth

Opinion

COLEMAN, J.

This is the second appeal by Keith Allen Harward of successive convictions for the murder of Jesse Perron. The Supreme Court reversed an earlier capital murder conviction in which Harward received a life sentence on the ground that a murderer/rapist could not be found guilty under Code § 18.2-31(a) where the person murdered was other than the rape victim. Harward v. Commonwealth, 229 Va. 363, 330 S.E.2d 89 (1985). On remand Harward was convicted by a jury of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. We review that conviction.

Those facts and procedural history…