State v. Matuu

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) on appeal that affirmed the circuit court's judgment of conviction and sentence convicting Defendant of assault in the first degree, holding that the ICA correctly concluded that Defendant's conviction was supported by substantial evidence and that the circuit court's jury instructions were not prejudicially erroneous or misleading.While the Supreme Court concluded that the ICA properly upheld Defendant's conviction, it held that the ICA erred in that the circuit court sufficiently instructed the jury regarding unanimity and that therefore an additional unanimity instruction requested by Defendant was unnecessary. But because the instructions as a whole were not insufficient, inconsistent, erroneous, or misleading, the Supreme Court affirmed the ICA's decision affirming Defendant's conviction and sentence, further providing guidance that circuit courts specifically include the unanimity requirement in justification defense instructions. View "State v. Matuu" on Justia Law