Bodybuilder to get new trial

A Richland County bodybuilder convicted in a 2002 murder of his bodybuilder friend will get a new trial, Rick Brundrett reported in the January 21, 2009 edition of The State Newspaper.

Eric Rife was indicted for murder in September 2001. He proceeded to trial on July 16, 2003, and was found guilty. Mr. Rife was serving a 35-year sentence in the South Carolina Department of Corrections at the time his family retained Richard A. Harpootlian, P.A.

In October 2015, a Post-Conviction Relief Application (PCR) was filed by Dick Harpootlian seeking to have Mr. Rife’s conviction overturned alleging his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the assistant solicitor’s prejudicial  misstatements of law during closing argument and the jury charge of “implied malice”.

After a evidentiary hearing, the Court agreed with Mr. Rife’s appellate counsel and PCR was granted in 2007. Mr. Rife’s 35-year sentence was overturned. The State appealed the Court’s decision and the South Carolina Supreme Court denied its appeal. “It’s been a long appellate process, but he’s always believed in his innocence, and he’s looking forward to a new trial,” said Rife’s appellate attorney, Dick Harpootlian as reported by The State.

Visit The State archives, http://www.thestate.com/, for the full article.

The Court’s order granting Mr. Rife’s Post-Conviction Relief Application can be found here.

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