Opinion ID: 2109757
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: conviction procedural history

Text: After Mr. VanHoose was indicted, a trial date was set for December 7, 1998, but was continued to January 6, 1999. [11] On the date set for trial, January 6, 1999, Mr. VanHoose moved the court to continue the trial. The court granted the motion and set the case for trial on May 11, 1999. [12] On or about May 4, 1999, Mr. VanHoose filed a motion to preclude his wife from testifying against him. In that motion, Mr. VanHoose asserted his right to preclude his wife from testifying against him under the marital testimonial privilege statutes. On May 7, 1999, the State filed a motion to continue the trial because Mr. VanHoose refused to waive the marital privilege so that his wife could testify. In that motion, the State informed the court that Mrs. VanHoose had filed for a divorce in Kentucky in April 1999. [13] The trial court granted the State's motion to continue and set a new trial date for August 24, 1999. [14] On September 27, 1999, Mr. VanHoose filed a motion for a speedy trial under the one-term rule of W. Va.Code § 62-3-1 (1981) (Repl.Vol.2005). [15] It appears that a hearing was held on the motion on October 5, 1999. The trial court entered an order denying the motion. Also, in the order denying the motion, the trial court stated that, because it appeared that the divorce would not be finalized by the time set for trial, the trial was continued until January 25, 2000. On November 4, 1999, Mr. VanHoose filed a renewed motion for a speedy trial under W. Va.Code § 62-3-1. By order entered December 30, 1999, the trial court denied the motion after finding that the speedy trial right was now governed by the three-term rule under W. Va.Code § 62-3-21 (1959) (Repl.Vol.2005). [16] On or about January 24, 2000, Mr. VanHoose filed a motion to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that he was not tried within the one-term rule under W. Va.Code § 62-3-1 or within the three-term rule under W. Va.Code § 62-3-21. The motion was heard on January 25, 2000, at which time the trial court denied the motion to dismiss. Further, at that same hearing, the trial court set a new trial date for April 27, 2000. On April 20, 2000, a status conference was held. At the proceeding the State informed the court that Mrs. VanHoose had been granted a divorce on April 7, 2000. However, Mr. VanHoose informed the court that he was going to appeal the divorce; therefore, it was not final. Further, Mr. VanHoose informed the court that, because the divorce was still not final, the State could not call Mrs. VanHoose as a witness against him. As a result of Mrs. VanHoose being unavailable to testify, the trial court continued the trial until August 29, 2000. In August 2000, Mr. VanHoose filed a motion to dismiss the indictment and a motion for trial before the September term of court. A hearing was held on the motions on August 29, 2000. At that hearing, the trial court denied the motions. The trial court set a trial date for September 8, 2000. The trial court stated in its order that, after further research, it determined that the appeal filed by Mr. VanHoose in the divorce case did not affect the finality of the divorce. Therefore, Mrs. VanHoose was now available to testify against Mr. VanHoose. On September 1, 2000, Mr. VanHoose filed for a writ of prohibition with this Court seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds of a violation of the one-term rule of W. Va.Code § 62-3-1 and the three-term rule of W. Va.Code § 62-3-21. This Court denied the petition on September 7, 2000. On September 7, 2000, the day before the case was set for trial, Mr. VanHoose entered a conditional plea of guilty to first-degree murder and second-degree murder. The condition for the plea was that Mr. VanHoose would be permitted to appeal the issue of the State's failure to try him during the terms of court set out under W. Va.Code § 62-3-1 and W. Va.Code § 62-3-21. Thereafter, on September 8, 2000, the trial court sentenced Mr. VanHoose to life imprisonment with mercy on the first-degree murder conviction, and a suspended consecutive sentence of forty years imprisonment for the second-degree murder conviction. Also on that same day, the trial court appointed George Beter as counsel to represent Mr. VanHoose in an appeal. [17]