Opinion ID: 1747707
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: This rape case arose on appeal from the September 29, 1988 judgment of the Tippah County Circuit Court, which found Ross guilty and sentenced him to life in prison. The appellant timely filed a notice of appeal on October 25, 1988, alleging constitutional and statutory speedy trial violations. The delay between Ross's arrest and trial was 378 days; the delay between arraignment and trial was 370 days. Because the state supported the delays with good cause on both constitutional and statutory grounds, the lower court's decision is affirmed. The facts on which Ross bases his claim are shown below. The date and days since arrest appear in the left-hand column. This Court's speedy trial computations appear in the right-hand columns: Speedy Trial Clock Date Event Const'l Statutory 09/16/87 Tippah County officials arrested Ross for 0 0 Day 0 rape. 09/22/87 A Tippah County grand jury indicted Ross | | rape. 09/24/87 Ross waived arraignment and pled not guilty. 8 0 Day 8 10/16/87 Ross moved for a change of venue. 30 22 Day 30 Clock tolled 59 days. 11/29/87 The court set a date of December 14, 1987, - - to hear Ross's change-of-venue motion. 12/14/87 The court overruled Ross's change-of-venue 30 22 motion. Day 89 Ross moved for speedy trial, requesting a Clock running setting for the February, 1988 term. 45 days. 01/28/88 The state requested a continuance until 75 67 Day 134 the May term in order to first try a case against Ross in another county. [1] Clock running 88 days. 02/18/88 The court set trial for May 12, 1988. | | 04/19/88 Ross moved to suppress identification. | | 04/21/88 The court heard motions. | | 04/25/88 Ross amended his motion to suppress 163 155 identification. Day 222 Clock tolled 25 days. 05/09/88 The court set a first back-up trial date - - of May 19, 1988. The court began hearing the amended suppression motion. 05/12/88 Trial date passed while the court heard - - Ross's amended suppression motion. 05/19/88 Back-up trial date passed while the court - - heard Ross's amended suppression motion 05/20/88 The court completed hearing Ross's amended 163 155 Day 247 suppression motion. Clock tolled 129 days, until next court term. [2] 08/09/88 The court set a first back-up trial date of September 27, 1988. 09/22/88 Ross moved to dismiss for failure to timely - - prosecute, which he alleged violated his statutory right to speedy trial. 09/26/88 The court overruled Ross's motion for 163 155 failure to Day 376 timely prosecute and set trial for the next day. The court explicitly rejected Ross's argument that trying one case before another can constitute prejudice. 09/27/88 The court deferred the trial one day to 164 156 allow the defense to prepare for a change in the order of causes to be heard. 09/28/88 Ross went to trial, and the next day was 164 156 Day 378 convicted of rape and sentenced to life in prison. 378 days had elapsed since arrest, 370 since arraignment.