The Utah Court of Appeals affirmed two aggravated-murder convictions, holding that abundant evidence allowed the jury to reject both perfect and imperfect self-defense.
The Utah Court of Appeals affirmed a murder conviction because evidence permitted the jury to reject perfect and imperfect self-defense, and denied a rule 23B remand because undiscovered violence evidence was not tied to the defendant’s knowledge when he stabbed the victim.
The Utah Court of Appeals vacated a methamphetamine-possession conviction after the jury heard the offense level and a prosecutor inaccurately minimized the likely punishment, errors that could have encouraged conviction in a close constructive-possession case.
The Utah Court of Appeals upheld a guilty plea and concurrent prison terms, rejecting rule 11, ineffective-assistance, competency, illegal-sentence, and sentencing-discretion challenges.
The Utah Court of Appeals held that credible officer testimony established probable cause for a plain-view drug seizure despite missing body-camera footage and later inconclusive field testing.
The Utah Court of Appeals affirmed an object-rape conviction because repeated accounts of the victim’s report added no new facts and caused no Strickland prejudice.
The Utah Court of Appeals held that a victim’s family relationship with an unassigned judge did not justify disqualifying the assigned judge or the entire county bench.
The Utah Court of Appeals affirmed rape and aggravated-assault convictions, holding that counsel’s challenged evidentiary choices fit a coherent trial strategy.