United States v. James McCoy

Appellant, age 25, was convicted of and sentenced to life imprisonment for armed robbery. 1 His only previous conviction was in 1965 for tampering with an automobile for which he received a sentence of 90 days, the execution of which was suspended with one year probation. Under familiar principles, because of the severity of the sentence imposed in this case, we study the record with unusual care. 2

On June 22, 1968, two men robbed the Congressional Liquor Store in the Southeast section of Washington. The robbers, one armed with a shotgun and one with a silver-colored pistol, entered the store…