Opinion ID: 1695996
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Heading: constitutional guarantee to a speedy trial

Text: Unlike the statutory right to speedy trial, Adams' constitutional guarantee to a speedy trial attached at the time he was arrested. Smith v. State, 550 So.2d 406, 408 (Miss. 1989). See also, Perry v. State, 419 So.2d 194, 198 (Miss. 1982). Once the right attaches, this Court must apply factors laid out in Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972), to determine whether Adams was denied his constitutional right. The four factors include: (1) the length of delay; (2) the reason for delay; (3) whether the defendant asserted his right to a speedy trial; and (4) whether the defendant has been prejudiced by the delay. Id. at 533; 92 S.Ct. at 2193. No one of the factors is, in itself, dispositive; rather, they must be considered together in light of all the circumstances. Smith, 550 So.2d at 408 citing Barker, 407 U.S. at 533, 92 S.Ct. at 2193; see also Trotter v. State, 554 So.2d 313, 316 (Miss. 1989).