Judge Eric Johnson
-
Appeals court calls out Denver judge for illogical denial of sentence reduction
—
by
A Denver judge wrongly rejected a convicted defendant’s request for a sentence reduction because his stated reasons for denying the motion could not possibly have been true, Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday. Jurors convicted Brent M. Kelley in 2018 of second-degree murder and a drug offense. He received a 47-year prison sentence. After appealing…
-
Appeals court tosses man’s convictions after Denver judge relied on expired pandemic-era law to violate speedy trial deadline
—
by
A Denver judge mistakenly used an expired provision of state law to extend a defendant’s speedy trial deadline, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday in overturning the man’s convictions and 34-years-to-life prison sentence. As part of the constitutional guarantee of a speedy trial, Colorado law generally requires the government to bring a defendant to trial…
-
Denver judge exceeded his authority in ‘several ways’ in juvenile defendant’s case, state Supreme Court says
—
by
‘While the trial court has significant discretion regarding the presentation of evidence and the application of the rules of evidence, there are limits,’ wrote the justices
-
Colorado justices raise eyebrows at Denver judge’s restrictions on juvenile defendant
—
by
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared unnerved on Wednesday at the restrictions a Denver judge placed on a teenage defendant’s attempt to argue that he should be tried as a juvenile, not as an adult. Lawyers for Clayshjon Eugene Clark-Collins sought the Supreme Court’s intervention after his trial judge indicated he largely did not want…
-
‘Deceivingly complicated’: Appeals judges talk to lawyers about postconviction cases
—
by
Members of Colorado’s second-highest court told lawyers and judges on Thursday what they are looking for when a convicted defendant argues they are entitled to relief for reasons beyond the typical array of trial-related errors. In contrast to direct appeals of criminal convictions, which usually allege errors before trial, at trial or at sentencing, defendants…
-
Colorado Supreme Court may address Denver juvenile prosecution, one man’s deluge of cases
—
by
The Colorado Supreme Court signaled last month that it may intervene in an ongoing criminal case against a defendant seeking to be tried as a juvenile, and potentially stop a man from continuing to sue the same group of people after a steady stream of judges has disposed of his claims. In the first case…
