Criminal Defense News

Case Summaries

Criminal Law & Procedure

[03/09] Zia Trust Co. v. Montoya
In an action for excessive force brought by family members of a man defendant-officer shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance, denial of summary judgment based on qualified immunity is affirmed where the court could not say that a van fifteen feet away, which according to the plaintiffs was clearly stuck on a pile of rocks, gave defendant probable cause to believe that there was a threat of serious physical harm to himself or others that would justify his use of force.

[03/09] US v. Wise
Defendant's firearm possession sentence is affirmed where: 1) defendant's prior conviction under Utah law for failure to stop at the command of a police officer was a "crime of violence" under the Sentencing Guidelines; and 2) the district court erred in not assigning criminal history points for one of defendant's prior convictions, but that error did not invalidate defendant's sentence.

[03/09] In re Victor L.
In a conviction of a minor for possession of specified illegal weapons, juvenile court's order placing the defendant on probation with various conditions is affirmed for the most part with the exception of: 1) the restrictions on defendant's right to associate with individuals disapproved of by his probation officer or his parents is unconstitutionally vague and will be modified to include a personal knowledge requirement; 2) restrictions on defendant's presence "where dangerous or deadly weapons or firearms or ammunitions exist" is unconstitutional as due process requires that the probationer be informed in advance whether his conduct comports with or violates a condition of probation; and 3) to the extent the second Internet condition prohibits any "use of" or "access to" an Internet-enabled computer, it conflicts with the other two conditions, thereby making the combination of conditions unconstitutionally vague.

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Habeas Corpus

[03/08] Rhoades v. Henry (Michelbacher)
In a capital habeas matter, denial of petitioner's petition is affirmed where: 1) no Brady violation could occur when a defendant possessed the information that he claims was withheld; 2) petitioner offered no support for his assertion that the district court should have held an evidentiary hearing on the Brady claim; and 3) it was not reasonably likely that a challenged instruction, in context of the instructions overall, caused the jury to misapply the state's burden of proof.

[03/08] Rhoades v. Henry (Baldwin)
In a capital habeas matter, denial of petitioner's petition is affirmed where: 1) an allegedly exculpatory confession by another witness was not reliable and was thus appropriately excluded; 2) there was no Brady violation when a defendant possessed the information that he claims was withheld; 3) defendant's statement that "I did it" came after his handcuffs were removed and while petitioner was being booked at the station, and in these circumstances no Mosley error occurred; and 4) the aggravating circumstances were too strong, and the new mitigating evidence added too little, to create a reasonable probability of a different outcome absent defense counsel's alleged ineffectiveness.

[03/05] In re Lucas
Defendant's request for habeas relief, claiming that when the district attorney filed the petition to commit him as a sexually violent predator he was not in the lawful custody of the department of corrections because the board of parole hearings had extended his custody for 45 days without showing of good cause, is denied where: 1) although the hold was unlawful as the showing of good cause required for a 45-day hold under section 6603.1 was never made; 2) the board did, in fact, rely on regulation 2600.1(d) in placing the 45-day hold on defendant; and 3) the board's presumptive reliance on regulation 2600.1(d) constitutes a good faith mistake of law.

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