People v. Williams
Michigan Supreme Court
814 N.W.2d 270 (2012)

- Written by Carolyn Strutton, JD
Facts
Glenn Williams (defendant) robbed a gas station, telling the clerk he had a gun and making off with about $160 in cash. The next day, Williams entered a tobacco shop and attempted to rob it. Williams approached the clerk with his hand in his pocket and stated, “you know what this is, just give me what I want.” The tobacco shop clerk did not give Williams any money or property, and Williams fled. Williams was arrested and pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery. Williams was convicted but then moved to withdraw his guilty pleas. Williams argued that he could not be convicted of robbery for the tobacco-shop incident because the larceny element of the crime had not been completed. The court refused to grant Williams’s motion to withdraw his pleas, and Williams appealed. A split verdict by the court of appeals affirmed Williams’s conviction, holding that recent revisions to the Michigan robbery statutes had eliminated the requirement of a completed larceny as an element of robbery in the state. Williams appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Young, C.J.)
Dissent (Kelly, J.)
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