State v. McLeod, 19624

Decision Date09 May 1973
Docket NumberNo. 19624,19624
Citation260 S.C. 445,196 S.E.2d 645
CourtSouth Carolina Supreme Court
PartiesThe STATE, Respondent, v. Hules McLEOD, Appellant.

P. Michael Duffy, Charleston, for appellant.

Solicitor Robert B. Wallace, Charleston, for respondent.

LITTLEJOHN, Justice.

The defendant was convicted by a jury of assault with attempt to ravish and was sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment. He has appealed, alleging in essence that his constitutional rights to due process have been violated because of improper identification.

The victim (Mrs. Myers) was attacked on Friday night, March 24, 1972. Her assailant struck her on the head with a hard object, choked her, and attempted to remove her undergarments, tearing them in the attempt. Her struggles and identifying exclamation, 'oh, you Hattie's boy', apparently discouraged her assailant and he fled. Mrs. Myers testified that she recognized her assailant as 'Hattie's boy'. Mrs. Grant, a State's witness, testified that when Mrs. Myers came to her house after being attacked: 'She say 'Hattie's boy'. That's all she say.'

On Saturday morning, after the attack (the previous night), a warrant was taken for the defendant. He was arrested and taken to Mrs. Myers' home in order that she could be sure that he was the assailant. It is apparent that she did not know her assailant's first name, but she identified the person arrested as the one who had assaulted her. In the trial of the case, she pointed out the same individual as being that person who attacked her on March 24.

Mr. Myers, the victim's husband, testified that he knew the defendant; that he had seen him frequently at a neighborhood tackle shop; that he had know the defendant's mother, Hattie Anderson, since she was a child; that they all went to the same church; and that Hattie Anderson lived about two and one-half miles from his house.

It is apparent from the record that Mrs. Myers knew the defendant. She had seen him many times at a neighborhood store near their home; she knew the defendant's mother and knew him to be her son.

In this appeal, the defendant frames three questions, two of which attack the fairness of the pre-trial identification procedure used by the police, and the other asserts police error in not informing defendant of his constitutional rights to counsel at the pre-trial confrontation.

The defendant's argument that the lone confrontation was unfair and untrustworthy is based on the principles set forth in the cases of United...

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4 cases
  • State v. Liverman
    • United States
    • South Carolina Supreme Court
    • June 6, 2012
    ...show-up was unduly suggestive and therefore tainted the in-court identification. The trial court, relying on State v. McLeod, 260 S.C. 445, 196 S.E.2d 645 (1973), did conduct an in camera hearing and found the pretrial identification was reliable, based primarily on the witness's previous k......
  • State v. Rogers
    • United States
    • South Carolina Supreme Court
    • December 16, 1974
    ...identification. State v. Williams, 257 S.C. 257, 262, 185 S.E.2d 529; State v. Singleton, 258 S.C. 125, 187 S.E.2d 518; State v. McLeod, 260 S.C. 445, 196 S.E.2d 645; State v. Bell, 209 S.E.2d 890 filed November 12, 1974. In the case of U.S. v. Terry, 137 U.S.App.D.C. 267, 422 F.2d 704, 709......
  • State v. Liverman
    • United States
    • South Carolina Court of Appeals
    • December 4, 2009
    ...to avert the dangers of mistaken identity and applied in situations involving strangers. The State argued, pursuant to State v. McLeod, 260 S.C. 445, 196 S.E.2d 645 (1973), the trial judge did not need to conduct a basic review of the totality of the circumstances and the suggestiveness of ......
  • In re Robert D.
    • United States
    • South Carolina Court of Appeals
    • April 10, 2000
    ...safeguards, which the defendant claims were necessary, simply do not apply under the facts of this case." State v. McLeod, 260 S.C. 445, 448, 196 S.E.2d 645, 646 (1973). Accordingly, for the reasons discussed above, Robert D.'s delinquency adjudication is AFFIRMED. GOOLSBY and CONNOR, JJ., ......

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