Even though trial court improperly removed a juror after deliberations had begun, defendant’s convictions were affirmed because he and his defense counsel expressly agreed to the constitutionally-defective procedure as part of a deliberate trial strategy.
M. Massa
Gresk v. Demetris, No. 49S02-1711-MI-686, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind., May 10, 2018).
Indiana’s anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) statute protects a person’s actions “in furtherance of” his or her right of petition or free speech and “in connection with a public issue”; the statute is inapplicable to a doctor that reported suspected child abuse.
McGrath v. State, No. 49S04-1710-CR-653, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind., May 1, 2018).
Investigation into and observations of the home were “sufficiently indicative of a marijuana grow” when viewed together and in light of the officer’s training. The issuance of a second warrant was proper under the collective knowledge doctrine, which presumes the officer’s credibility so no special showing of reliability was required.
Brantley v. State, No. 18S-CR-98, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind., Feb. 16, 2018).
Voluntary manslaughter may be brought as a standalone charge with the element of sudden heat as a mitigating factor, which a jury may consider along with claims of self-defense.
Gunderson v. State, No. 46S03-1706-PL-423, __ N.E.3d __(Ind., Feb. 14, 2018).
The boundary separating public trust land from privately-owned riparian land along the shores of Lake Michigan is the common-law ordinary high-water mark and that, absent an authorized legislative conveyance, the State retains exclusive title up to that boundary.