[T]he prosecutor...told the jury if they had doubts to just find me guilty and give me the minimum sentence, he did not say that it was thirty-two years, life in prison for me. I was found guilty and I was given the minimum of thirty-two years.
— R.B.

Location
Tazwell County, VA

Crime of Conviction
Assault, abduction, indecent liberties, attempted rape.

Year of Conviction
2015

R.B. was convicted of assault, abduction, and other offenses, and sentenced to thirty-two years. He maintains that he was wrongfully convicted and is actually innocent. R.B. explains that his bank statements prove that his accuser's story was false and that he could not have committed these crimes, and that his accuser had a history of making and threatening to make false accusations of sexual assault to others as well. He also describes ineffective assistance of counsel and improper evidentiary rulings throughout his trial.


Procedural issues

Wrongful conviction, ineffective assistance of counsel.

Counsel

-

Prison Letters Project

Information appearing in the database reflects our understanding of letter-writers' situations and legal claims based on our correspondence with them, and may not be complete and comprehensive. If you are interested in learning more about a particular person's case or connecting with them, please write us at prisonlettersproject@yale.edu.

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