Reaves v. State

Defendant seeks reversal of his conviction and five year sentence for grand larceny on the grounds he was denied due process of law as a result of the prosecutor’s comment in closing argument on defendant’s indigency and legal representation by the public defender.

The prosecution’s version of the facts, which the jury chose to believe, is as follows :

Defendant Reaves and a companion entered a Goodyear store. For the purpose of distraction, defendant discussed with the sales manager the possibility of purchasing a refrigerator while his companion slipped a television into an empty box he was…