626 results for 'cat:"Criminal Procedure"'.
J. Mead finds that the lower court properly convicted defendant following a jury trial for “hunting a deer after having killed one,” as well as unlawful possession of wild animals. On appeal, he fails to show that the charge for possession of wild animals was barred under double jeopardy principles. Additionally, the matter is remanded for reconsideration of a stay order. The lower court had “the authority to order the original stay” and should decide whether to reinstate it. Affirmed.
Court: Maine Supreme Court, Judge: Mead, Filed On: May 7, 2024, Case #: 2024ME33, Categories: criminal Procedure, Sentencing, Double Jeopardy
J. Torbitzky finds that the lower court properly refused to expunge one criminal conviction, after expunging another. Defendant failed to demonstrate his two convictions were part of the same course of criminal conduct, even if he pleaded guilty in each case and was sentenced on the same day. Affirmed.
Court: Missouri Court Of Appeals, Judge: Torbitzky, Filed On: May 7, 2024, Case #: ED111779, Categories: criminal Procedure
J. Hart finds misjoinder of criminal offenses is reviewed under "plain error" analysis and that, even if a trial court improperly allowed numerous charges to be tried at the same time, it is not a structural error that requires reversal of a defendant's convictions. In this case, while evidence of defendant's drug charges may have persuaded the jury he was inclined to commit crimes, the error was harmless as it pertained to his murder charge because of the overwhelming evidence in support of that charge, including that he went to his backpack to retrieve a gun before he shot the victim following a scuffle. Affirmed.
Court: Colorado Supreme Court, Judge: Hart, Filed On: May 6, 2024, Case #: 2024CO26, Categories: criminal Procedure, Evidence, Murder
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J. Williamowski finds the trial court properly denied defendant's motion to dismiss for double jeopardy violations. Although his initial convictions for retaliation and attempted murder were vacated on improper venue grounds, the vacatur of those convictions had nothing to do with his criminal culpability and were instead the result of a procedural error that did not implicate his double jeopardy rights. Affirmed.
Court: Ohio Court Of Appeals, Judge: Williamowski, Filed On: May 6, 2024, Case #: 2024-Ohio-1736, Categories: criminal Procedure, Murder, Double Jeopardy
J. Kellum finds that the lower court properly convicted defendant on multiple counts of voyeurism but improperly sentenced him. The lower court did not err by admitting evidence of certain Internet searches that were extracted from defendant's phone. The court notes that the probationary terms of the split sentences are unlawful, however, and the matter is remanded for another sentencing hearing. Affirmed in part.
Court: Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, Judge: Kellum, Filed On: May 3, 2024, Case #: CR-2023-0008, Categories: criminal Procedure, Probation, Sentencing
J. Cradle finds the trial court did not violate the inmate's due process rights when it denied his motion for a continuance during his habeas trial. Although a crucial witness failed to appear, the inmate was able to present numerous exhibits and call other witnesses throughout the three day trial. Additionally, the absent witness had been served with multiple subpoenas and the trial court issued a capias in an attempt to force his appearance, and so there was no legitimate reason for a further delay. Affirmed.
Court: Connecticut Court Of Appeals, Judge: Cradle, Filed On: May 3, 2024, Case #: AC46237, Categories: criminal Procedure, Habeas, Due Process
Per curiam, the appellate court finds that defendant was improperly convicted of multiple counts of child endangerment and sexual abuse because several charges were duplicative, and evidence cast doubt on the exact number of instances of abuse. The state may present the vacated charges to a new grand jury. Reversed in part.
Court: New York Appellate Divisions, Judge: Per curiam, Filed On: May 3, 2024, Case #: KA 22-00437, Categories: criminal Procedure, Sex Offender
J. Bunn grants the state's writ seeking an order prohibiting enforcement of the lower court's order dismissing a six-count indictment charging defendants, a Monongalia County couple, with child abuse, and neglect causing bodily injury of two of their three adopted children stemming from excessive corporal punishment. The since-retired judge exceeded her authority in granting the defense's motion to dismiss the indictment due to the "numerous hours of testimony" she heard in the related abuse and neglect case resulting in termination of the couple's parental rights.
Court: West Virginia Supreme Court Of Appeals, Judge: Bunn, Filed On: May 3, 2024, Case #: 23-155, Categories: criminal Procedure, Child Victims
J. Durrant finds that defendant took sufficiently substantial steps toward meeting a police officer he believed was a 13-year-old girl for a magistrate court to bind him over on charges of attempted rape, sodomy and kidnapping of a child. Also, he was not entrapped since police did not persistently solicit him over time, but went from first contact to rendezvous in four hours, and they did not appeal to his sympathy or pity. Affirmed.
Court: Utah Supreme Court, Judge: Durrant, Filed On: May 2, 2024, Case #: 20220768, Categories: criminal Procedure, Sex Offender, Entrapment
J. Harris finds that the trial court erred in denying defendant's motion to dismiss charges that he sexually abused a child 25 years earlier. The four-year statute of limitations that applied at the time of the alleged offenses began to run in 1998 when the alleged victim's friend reported to police that defendant had been "having sex" with the alleged victim. In the context of the friend's report, "having sex" meant vaginal intercourse and was sufficient to put police on notice of a crime that could be charged. Reversed.
Court: Utah Court Of Appeals, Judge: Harris, Filed On: May 2, 2024, Case #: 20230228-CA, Categories: criminal Procedure, Sex Offender
J. Lynch finds that decision must be withheld in defendant's appeal from his conviction for murder, attempted murder, and arson, which stemmed from two house fires, because the chief assistant district attorney on the appeal should be disqualified for having acted as the confidential law clerk to the trial judge. The ADA initially took part in the appeal, and thus the entire DA's office is disqualified, and a special prosecutor must be named to handle the appeal.
Court: New York Appellate Divisions, Judge: Lynch, Filed On: May 2, 2024, Case #: 112498, Categories: criminal Procedure, Murder
J. Stevens finds that the lower court properly sentenced defendant for shooting and killing his neighbor’s two German Shepherd dogs who were on his property, barking at and chasing deer he raised. The deer were fenced, and the dogs were interacting with the deer on the outside of the fence, so the killings were not protected by a legal defense that permits the killing of dogs in the process of killing or wounding other domestic animals. Affirmed.
Court: Pennsylvania Superior Court, Judge: Stevens, Filed On: May 2, 2024, Case #: J-S08038-24, Categories: criminal Procedure, Sentencing, Animal Cruelty
J. Wilson finds that the lower court improperly dismissed the indictment charging defendant with involuntary manslaughter by deciding after viewing video surveillance that her driving did not constitute criminal negligence. The court was limited to reviewing whether the indictment contained the essential elements of involuntary manslaughter and whether it proper apprised defendant of the facts of the charge. Reversed.
Court: Missouri Supreme Court, Judge: Wilson, Filed On: May 1, 2024, Case #: SC100212, Categories: criminal Procedure, Manslaughter, Vehicle
Per curiam, the Supreme Court of Ohio finds the lower court properly dismissed the inmate's petition for a writ of mandamus. His request for a suppression hearing after the return of his cell phone and other property by the trial court should have been brought on a direct appeal of his other postconviction motions for relief. Affirmed.
Court: Ohio Supreme Court, Judge: Per curiam, Filed On: May 1, 2024, Case #: 2024-Ohio-1624, Categories: criminal Procedure, Search, Sex Offender
J. Ransom finds that the lower court properly convicted defendant of robbery and assault. He has not adequately shown that his lack of counsel at two pre-trial appearances resulted in any prejudice to him during trial. Further, he was not entitled to a transcript of his initial appearance because it was not an arraignment. Affirmed.
Court: Missouri Supreme Court, Judge: Ransom, Filed On: April 30, 2024, Case #: SC100247, Categories: criminal Procedure, Robbery
J. Ransom finds that the lower court properly convicted defendant of fourth-degree assault after defendant had his initial appearance and arraignment without appointed counsel. Defendant fails to make any specific argument as to how the lack of counsel at these hearing prejudiced him. Affirmed.
Court: Missouri Supreme Court, Judge: Ransom, Filed On: April 30, 2024, Case #: SC100325, Categories: criminal Procedure, Assault
Per curiam, the Supreme Court of Ohio denies the inmate's motion to strike a combined filing made by the common pleas court judge. The filing did not require him to respond to both issues at the same time and, although he filed a late response to one of the claims made by the judge, his failure to comply with deadlines was not the result of prejudice. However, because the inmate prevailed on the merits of one of his numerous filings, the lower court erroneously granted the judge's request to declare him a vexatious litigator. Reversed in part.
Court: Ohio Supreme Court, Judge: Per curiam, Filed On: April 30, 2024, Case #: 2024-Ohio-1614, Categories: criminal Procedure, Judiciary
J. Siler finds the trial court erroneously denied defendant's motion to dismiss fraud and identity theft charges for speedy trial violations. The 36-day delay between the trial court's competency evaluation order and defendant's transport to a facility for the evaluation violated his speedy trial rights, regardless of the fact the government did not know which facility would be used when the 10-day transportation clock began to run. Therefore, defendant's convictions on fraud and identity theft charges must be vacated and the case will be remanded to allow the trial court to determine whether the indictment will be dismissed with or without prejudice. Reversed.
Court: 6th Circuit, Judge: Siler, Filed On: April 30, 2024, Case #: 22-3797, Categories: criminal Procedure, Speedy Trial, Identity Theft
J. Park finds that defendant was properly convicted based on his guilty plea to aiding Islamist terrorist group al-Shabaab in raids in Kenya and Somalia that killed scores of civilians, including Americans. Defendant contends the superseding indictment to which he pleaded fell outside the remand mandate of a prior appeal affected by intervening precedent, but nothing on remand blocked superseding indictments, and the initial plea agreement permitted new charges in the event that defendant's conviction was vacated for any reason. Affirmed.
Court: 2nd Circuit, Judge: Park, Filed On: April 29, 2024, Case #: 22-2958-cr, Categories: criminal Procedure, Plea, Terrorism
J. Waples finds that the trial court improperly granted the state’s motion to modify a condition of probation when imposing that the defendant must complete the Cognitive Self Change (CSC) program. The defendant argues that after his sentencing they changed the CSC program and his probation officer moved to modify the condition for the Risk Reduction Program, but he did not agree to the modification. The plain language of the condition was misinterpreted by the Department of Corrections to require the defendant to participate in CSC or an equivalent program. Therefore, the defendant could move to strike or modify the condition himself before it goes in effect. Reversed.
Court: Vermont Supreme Court, Judge: Waples, Filed On: April 26, 2024, Case #: 23-AP-140, Categories: criminal Procedure, Murder, Probation
J. Lewis finds the trial court properly denied defendant's motion for acquittal on gross sexual imposition charges. The testimony from the victim, including that defendant asked her to touch his penis several times and was "happy" when she did it, proved his conduct was for the purpose of sexual gratification. However, the trial court erroneously denied defendant's motion to dismiss six counts of the indictment for a failure to bring the suit within the statute of limitations. The time limit for one of the victims began to run in 1993 after her first admission to police about defendant's conduct and expired several years before the state filed its initial indictment. Reversed in part.
Court: Ohio Court Of Appeals, Judge: Lewis, Filed On: April 26, 2024, Case #: 2024-Ohio-1612, Categories: criminal Procedure, Sex Offender
J. St. Eve finds that the lower court properly convicted singer R. Kelly of sexually abusing underage girls, and of child pornography for videotaping his sex acts with his victims. Under current law, there is no statute of limitations for sex crimes against children. Although R. Kelly's abuse of his victims took place in the 1990s and 2000s, he is not entitled to the application of an earlier version of the statute with a shorter limitations period. The PROTECT Act of 2003 unambiguously applies retroactively to R. Kelly's crimes. Affirmed.
Court: 7th Circuit, Judge: St. Eve, Filed On: April 26, 2024, Case #: 23-1449, Categories: criminal Procedure, Sex Offender, Child Victims
J. McKeague finds the trial court properly applied a career offender enhancement to defendant's sentence because his previous Ohio robbery conviction qualifies as a crime of violence. Under this court's previous ruling, Ohio robbery is not considered "generic" robbery under federal sentencing guidelines, but meets the criteria for generic extortion, which always involves the use of force; therefore, the enhancement was properly applied. Affirmed.
Court: 6th Circuit, Judge: McKeague, Filed On: April 26, 2024, Case #: 23-3466, Categories: criminal Procedure, Robbery, Sentencing
J. Panella finds that the lower court improperly granted defendant’s petition for writ of habeas corpus in this case over her assault of a Pennsylvania police officer who detained her because she assaulted him when he opened the door to her home. The police officer’s testimony showed there was probable cause to believe defendant had attempted injure the officer in the performance of his duty. Reversed.
Court: Pennsylvania Superior Court, Judge: Panella, Filed On: April 26, 2024, Case #: J-S05012-24, Categories: criminal Procedure, Habeas, Search