Facts of the Crime:
Keith Wiley, a black man convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed robbery in the October 20, 1997, shotgun slaying of 17-year-old Richie Futrelle, a white. He and two others kidnapped Futrelle, and Wiley killed Futrelle because he owed about $25 for cocaine. Futrelle was driven to a remote spot off Murrayville Road in the trunk of his father's car and thrown in a ditch. He was shot while trying to run away.
On November 3, 1997, Keith Dedrick Wiley (defendant) was indicted for the first-degree murder of George Richard “Richie” Futrelle, II (Futrelle or the victim). Defendant was tried capitally at the May 10, 1999 session of Superior Court, New Hanover County, and on May 25, 1999, the jury found defendant guilty of first-degree murder based on malice, premeditation, and deliberation and under the felony murder rule. Following acapital sentencing proceeding, the jury recommended a sentence of death for the first-degree murder conviction, and the trial court entered judgment in accordance with that recommendation. The trial court also entered consecutive sentences of 116 to 149 months for first-degree kidnapping and 103 to 133 months for robbery with a dangerous weapon. Defendant gave notice of appeal.
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