Companion case to Rodriguez v. State reaffirming that trial courts are bound by the terms of a plea agreement and may only modify a sentence in a way that would have been authorized at the time of sentencing.
Supreme
Cardosi v. State, No. 18S-LW-181, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind., August 7, 2019).
Defendant’s conviction of murder and sentence to life in prison without parole upheld, finding that the evidence was sufficient, jurors were properly admonished, co-conspirator’s text messages were properly admitted, reading a withdrawn accomplice liability instruction was not improper, and court properly considered a non-statutory aggravator when imposing sentence.
Murray v. Indianapolis Public Schools, No. 19S-CT-282, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind., Aug. 8, 2019).
Student was contributorily negligent for his death when his leaving school to purchase either guns or drugs was not an exercise of reasonable care and caution for his safety.
In re M.I., No. 19S-JT-281, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind., Aug. 9, 2019).
Despite Mother’s ongoing inability to secure suitable housing, the trial court properly concluded that terminating her parental rights would not be in her children’s best interests.
Dadouch v. State, No. 19S-CR-404, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind., July 16, 2019).
Trial judges should use both the written advisement of rights form together with the dialogue set forth in the Criminal Benchbook when advising defendants of their rights in a misdemeanor case.