judge elizabeth harris
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El Paso County man’s concerns of bias did not entitle him to forgo jury trial, appeals court rules
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Colorado’s second-highest court ruled earlier this month that a defendant in El Paso County did not have the right to unilaterally choose a trial by judge, rather than trial by jury, amid concerns that jurors would not treat him fairly. Jonathan Yamar Best is serving 20 years to life in prison after a jury convicted…
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El Paso County man’s concerns of bias did not entitle him to forgo jury trial, appeals court rules
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Colorado’s second-highest court ruled earlier this month that a defendant in El Paso County did not have the right to unilaterally choose a trial by judge, rather than trial by jury, amid concerns that jurors would not treat him fairly. Jonathan Yamar Best is serving 20 years to life in prison after a jury convicted…
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El Paso County man’s concerns of bias did not entitle him to forgo jury trial, appeals court rules
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by
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled earlier this month that a defendant in El Paso County did not have the right to unilaterally choose a trial by judge, rather than trial by jury, amid concerns that jurors would not treat him fairly. Jonathan Yamar Best is serving 20 years to life in prison after a jury convicted…
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Divided Colorado appeals court upholds sex abuse convictions despite problematic testimony
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By 2-1, Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday upheld a man’s child sex assault convictions despite an expert witness vouching for the credibility of the victims — which is typically improper. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals agreed Gustavo Lopez “opened the door” to the problematic evidence by suggesting his child victims had been…
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Divided Colorado appeals court upholds sex abuse convictions despite problematic testimony
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By 2-1, Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday upheld a man’s child sex assault convictions despite an expert witness vouching for the credibility of the victims – which is typically improper. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals agreed Gustavo Lopez “opened the door” to the problematic evidence by suggesting his child victims had been…
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Divided Colorado appeals court upholds sex abuse convictions despite problematic testimony
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By 2-1, Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday upheld a man’s child sex assault convictions despite an expert witness vouching for the credibility of the victims — which is typically improper. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals agreed Gustavo Lopez “opened the door” to the problematic evidence by suggesting his child victims had been…
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Thornton officer’s unlawful search prompts appeals court to overturn Adams County drug conviction
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An Adams County judge wrongly allowed evidence from an unconstitutional search in a man’s trial, prompting Colorado’s second-highest court to overturn the drug conviction last month. Jurors convicted Thomas Sandoval of one count of drug possession, after a Thornton police officer discovered a small container of methamphetamine during a pat-down search for weapons. Sandoval appealed,…
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Boulder County judge wasn’t obligated to bail out self-represented defendant, appeals court rules
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Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last month that a criminal defendant in Boulder County was not unfairly forced to choose between his rights to a speedy trial and to an attorney, and, when he elected to go without an attorney, the trial judge was not obligated to save him from his own poor performance. Jurors convicted Timothy…
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Appeals court rules in favor of limited disclosure for child abuse reports
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Colorado’s second-highest court last week ruled that the state must disclose general details about child abuse reports at group living facilities in response to an open records request, provided no identifying information is included. By 2-1, a panel of the Court of Appeals concluded the law generally shielding child abuse and neglect reports from disclosure…
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Montrose County judge wrongly terminated woman’s parental rights without lawyer, appeals court finds
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A Montrose County judge terminated a woman’s legal rights over her child after improperly denying her request for an attorney, Colorado’s second-highest court decided on Thursday. Under Colorado law, parents who are involved in child neglect cases have the right to legal representation at “every stage of the proceedings.” They can, however, choose to proceed…