Former Knoxville Priest Convicted of Child Rape to Appeal to Tenn. Supreme Court

WATE
March 27, 2014

http://www.wate.com/story/25092832/former-knoxville-priest-convicted-of

William Casey (file)

Attorneys for a former Knoxville priest convicted of child rape have filed with the Tennessee Supreme Court in an effort to appeal his conviction.

William Casey was convicted in 2011 in Sullivan County of criminal sexual conduct and aggravated rape in a case that dated back to the 1970s.

He was sentenced to a 35-year prison term. The Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled the conviction was not a violation of Casey's right to due process to try his case more than 30 years after the crimes were committed.

Casey's attorney wants to make that same argument to the Tennessee Supreme Court. The appeal application also raises a question about the court's refusal to provide jury instructions on accomplice testimony or corroboration.