People v. Morris

In the popular vernacular, this appeal might be called the case of the missing tennis shoes. A jury convicted the defendant of armed robbery, MCLA 750.529; MSA 28.797, after an earlier trial had ended in a mistrial because the jury was unable to agree on a verdict. The defendant was sentenced to a prison term of 15-30 years and now appeals as of right.

A police detective testified that, following his arrest, the defendant made an inculpatory statement in which he admitted his guilt and told the officer where certain items related to the robbery were buried. Led by the defendant, the police…