Justia Rhode Island Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

Defendant was charged with two counts of second-degree child molestation. After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted on Count 1 and acquitted on Count 2. Defendant appealed, arguing that the trial justice erred in his instructions to the jury and by employing the jury-verdict form. Specifically, Defendant asserted that the trial justice failed adequately to inform the jury of the distinction between Counts 1 and 2, which were identically worded. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court, holding that, while the issue was not properly preserved for review on appeal, it also lacked merit because there was no evidence in the record to indicate that the jury suffered from any confusion between Counts 1 and 2. View "State v. Hunt" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon. Defendant was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, suspended, with five years of probation. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of conviction, holding (1) the trial justice did not err in barring testimony from one of the responding police officers, which concluded that Defendant was afraid of the complaining witness, on the grounds that the testimony was inadmissible hearsay; and (2) the trial justice did not overlook or misconceive material evidence or clearly err in denying Defendant’s motion for a new trial. View "State v. Williams" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of murder in the first degree and related crimes. Defendant appealed, arguing that the trial justice erred in (1) failing to grant his motion to suppress evidence that was obtained as a result of his warrantless arrest in his home, and (2) failing to remove two allegedly biased jurors from the jury or, in the alternative, to grant a mistrial. The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the superior court and remanded for a new trial, holding (1) the trial justice erred in denying Defendant’s motion to suppress, as the warrantless entry into Defendant’s home was not consented to freely and voluntarily, and the State failed to establish the existence of exigent circumstances to justify the entry into the home; and (2) the error in this case was not harmless. Remanded for a new trial. View "State v. Gonzalez" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of one count of breaking and entering. The trial justice sentenced Defendant to a term of incarceration and also adjudged Defendant to be a habitual offender. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court, holding that the trial justice did not err in (1) denying Defendant’s motion for a judgment of acquittal, as there was sufficient evidence to support Defendant’s conviction; (2) limiting the scope of Defendant's cross-examination of the State’s fingerprint expert; and (3) denying Defendant's motion for a new trial, as the trial justice performed the requisite analysis and provided an adequate rationale for denying the motion. View "State v. Isom" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder, failure to report a death with the intention of concealing a crime, obstruction of a firefighter while in the execution of his duty, and violation of a no-contact order. Defendant filed a motion for a new trial, which the trial justice denied. The Supreme Court upheld the trial justice’s denial of Defendant’s motion for a new trial, holding that, based on the Court’s review of the record and the trial justice’s application of the required three-step analysis, and after consideration of Defendant’s contentions, the trial justice was neither clearly wrong nor misconceived or overlooked material evidence when she denied Defendant’s motion for a new trial. View "State v. Greenslit" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver. Defendant was sentenced to a term of fifteen years’ incarceration, with five years to serve and ten years suspended, with probation. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial justice did not err by denying Defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal, as the State presented sufficient evidence from which a reasonable juror could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Defendant committed the offense; and (2) the issue of whether the trial justice erred by not instructing the jury on the lesser-included offense of simple possession was not properly before the Court for review. View "State v. Maria" on Justia Law

After a jury-waived trial, Defendant was convicted of domestic simple assault and domestic disorderly conduct. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment, holding (1) sufficient competent and credible evidence existed in the record to support the trial justice’s finding beyond a reasonable doubt that Defendant committed the offenses; (2) the trial justice did not err in her credibility determinations and factual findings and applied the correct burden of proof with respect to Defendant’s claim of self-defense; (3) the trial justice did not abuse her discretion in her evidentiary rulings and or in limiting cross-examination; and (4) the trial justice did not overlook or misconceive material evidence in denying Defendant’s motion for a new trial. View "State v. Van Dongen" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon and assault with a dangerous weapon. Appellant was also charged with first-degree murder, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on that charge. After a second jury trial, Appellant was convicted of one count of first-degree murder. Appellant later filed an application for postconviction relief, arguing that his second trial was not fair because the justice who presided over that trial had previously represented Appellant in family court when Appellant was a minor. Appellant also alleged that his counsel at the second murder trial was ineffective. After a hearing, the hearing justice denied postconviction relief. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the hearing justice did not err in denying postconviction relief on the grounds that the trial justice at Appellant’s second murder trial should have recused; and (2) Appellant’s counsel did not provide ineffective assistance at Appellant’s second murder trial. View "Perry v. State" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of felony assault with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a handgun without a license. Defendant appealed, arguing primarily that the trial justice erred in denying his motion for a new trial because the testimony of the victim was not credible. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial justice did not clearly err or overlook or misconceive relevant and material evidence in concluding that the victim was a credible witness; and (2) any alleged shortcomings in the investigation in the aftermath of the shooting were harmless. View "State v. Roldan" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence resulting in a death, and carrying a pistol without a license. Defendant appealed, asserting a number of arguments. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgments of convictions, holding (1) the trial justice did not err when he declined to give a specific limiting instruction requested by Defendant to disregard a statement that the State gave during opening statements; (2) the trial justice did not abuse his discretion in denying Defendant’s request for “some sort of Neil v. Biggers identification instruction; (3) Defendant failed to preserve for appeal his argument that the trial justice admitted prejudicial evidence; and (4) the trial justice did not err when he denied Defendant’s motion for a new trial. View "State v. Davis" on Justia Law