WILLIAM BATES v. STATE OF MARYLAND

Criminal procedure — Illegal sentence — Defective indictment

In 1998, a jury sitting in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City found appellant, William Bates, guilty of first degree felony murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, attempted armed robbery, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The court sentenced Bates to life imprisonment for felony murder, a concurrent 15-year term for conspiracy, and a consecutive 15-year term for unlawful use of a handgun (the first five without the possibility of parole), merging the conviction for attempted armed robbery into that for felony murder for sentencing purposes.

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