Rogers v. Commonwealth

On January 9, 1990, Dorothy H. Balsey, a 74-year-old widow, was brutally attacked in her home in the City of Covington. The victim died the next day from stab wounds to her chest and back combined with “blunt force” injuries to her head sustained during the attack.

Within a month, appellant Rocky Dale Rogers, age 24, was arrested. Subsequently, he was indicted for the following crimes arising from the attack: statutory burglary, Code § 18.2-90; robbery, Code § 18.2-58; and rape, Code § 18.2-61. In addition, the defendant was indicted for capital murder. The grand jury charged defendant with…