CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — Samantha Rabon’s recent request for a new trial came as no surprise to prosecutors, 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson told News13 on Tuesday.
Rabon was sentenced in February to life in prison, after planning a murder-for-hire plot against her father and half-brother in 2018.
Richardson said after most people are convicted, they meet with their attorneys and start appealing.
Rabon’s attorneys filed the appeal with the state’s court of appeals on Dec. 19. Richardson said this first part of the appeal is based on allegations by defense attorneys that Judge Benjamin Culbertson made a mistake during trial
“What they’re saying is, ‘there’s a certain point in the case where the judge has the ability to take it away from the jury and say, ‘prosecutors, you haven’t shown enough to hit the elements of killing of another with malice of forethought,’” Richardson said. “And the judge denied that motion.”
Richardson said this part of the appeals process should be over within about five years of Rabon’s conviction. And for people who get lengthy sentences, appealing is a natural part of the legal process, he said.