State v. Tharp

Jo Elliott Tharp appeals from the judgment entered on a jury verdict finding him guilty of second degree felony murder. RCW 9A.32.050(l)(b). He assigns error to several evidentiary rulings by the trial court and to the jury instruction regarding the presumption of innocence. Tharp does not, however, challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to uphold the conviction, nor could he successfully do so, for the verdict is supported by compelling evidence of guilt.

During the evening and early morning hours of March 30 and March 31, 1978, a neighborhood in Bellingham was the scene of extensive…