THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
In The Court of Appeals

The State,        Respondent,

v.

Joseph Harold Brown Jr.,        Appellant.

Appeal From Anderson County
J. C. Buddy Nicholson, Jr., Circuit Court Judge

Unpublished Opinion No. 2003-UP-449
Submitted April 18, 2003 – Filed July 1, 2003

APPEAL DISMISSED

Deputy Chief Attorney Joseph L. Savitz, III, of the Office of Appellate Defense, of Columbia, for Appellant.

Attorney General Henry Dargan McMaster, Chief Deputy Attorney General John W. McIntosh and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Donald J. Zelenka, all of Columbia;  and Solicitor Druanne Dykes White, of Anderson, for Respondent.

PER CURIAM:  Appellant Joseph Harold Brown, Jr. was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.  Brown’s counsel attached to the final brief a petition to be relieved as counsel stating he had reviewed the record and concluded the appeal lacked merit.  Brown did not file a pro se response. 

After a review of the record as required by Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967) and State v. Williams, 305 S.C. 116, 406 S.E.2d 357 (1991), we hold there are no directly appealable issues that are arguable on their merits.  Accordingly, we dismiss Brown’s appeal and grant counsel’s petition to be relieved.

APPEAL DISMISSED.

CURETON, ANDERSON, and HUFF, JJ., concur.