judge ben leutwyler
-
Colorado appeals court orders new trial in Centennial murder case due to judge’s error
—
by
An Arapahoe County judge refused to issue a key jury instruction in a high-profile murder trial, which lowered the prosecution’s burden of proof and prompted Colorado’s second-highest court to overturn the defendant’s conviction last month. Lloyd Chavez IV, a student at Cherokee Trail High School, died in May 2019 after four teenagers attempted to rob…
-
Arapahoe County judge let biased juror serve, prompting reversal of serial rapist’s convictions
—
by
A man with a history of raping women, who is serving 136 years in prison, will receive a new trial after the state’s second-highest court concluded an Arapahoe County judge allowed a biased juror to serve in the 2021 trial. On Thursday, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals concluded, by 2-1, that it…
-
Colorado Supreme Court accepts 3 cases, including on racial bias in jury selection
—
by
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday it will decide whether a person’s belief that racial bias exists in policing is an acceptable reason to remove them from a jury, or whether doing so violates the longstanding prohibition against race discrimination in jury selection. At least three of the court’s seven members must consent to…