Steven Cole Goodman v.Commonwealth, 2013-SC-000813, rendered February 19, 2015, TO BE PUBLISHED,
Affirmed in Part, Vacated in Part and Remanding
The Supreme Court vacated
Goodman’s convictions of Theft by Unlawful Taking as he was also convicted of
Robbery in relation to those victims and as theft is an element of Robbery, the
dual convictions violated the Double Jeopardy clause and the lesser offense
must fall. The Court did uphold the concomitant convictions of Robbery in
the First-degree and Assault in the First-degree, reasoning that each offense
contained an element that the other did not, in accord with Blockburger v.
United States. Mr. Goodman’s thirty year sentence stands as the
sentences assessed for the Theft convictions were to be served concurrent to
the Robbery convictions.
Contributed by Linda Horsman
