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was sufficient, jurors were properly admonished, co-conspirator’s text messages were properly admitted, reading a withdrawn accomplice liability instruction was not improper, and court properly considered a non-statutory aggravator when imposing sentence.
Supreme
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.
Whitfield v. State, No. 18A-CR-2428, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., June 26, 2019).
When the State seeks to peremptorily strike a potential juror based partially on the juror’s demeanor and the defense raises a Batson challenge of racial discrimination, the trial court should make factual findings regarding its observations of the juror’s demeanor.